A new hero
by Observer123
Summary: My first story! Well, it seems that the world needs another hero and Dudley is the chosen one this time. But will he pass his first test?
1. Chapter 1

I have been watching these people for a long, I mean a very long, time. I observed them so long that you call my interest for them an obsession. And it is still quite interesting for me how they behave what they do how they live. Their hopes and fears and their failures and victories till the unavoidable moment of death made not just them happy and sad. But over the decades I watched I saw just more and more pain and sorrow growing in the place these people called "home". I came to the conclusion that there is a massive displacement in the balance between good and evil. And this is a really important kind of balance. It is so important that I decided to intervene. There was just one Problem… My options to help are very restricted. So I had to search for the world´s next hero.  
This hero was a white dog named Dudley Puppy. A young guy who lives in a house with his mother. Some people would call him a loser. These are people who couldn´t see the potential that slumbers in Dudley Puppy. But let us just start at the beginning of this story.  
Dudley woke up after a night that was just too short. He lifted his body heavily out of his bed and stumbled to the Bathroom. He stood in front of the mirror and stared into his blue eyes. "It´s just too early" he thought. "I could use some more hours sleeping time. I should talk with the chief about starting work a bit later." Dudley grinned "He would probably say something like: 'Agent Puppy crime never sleeps so we do' … yeah I hate crime." After finishing his morning washings he walked still tired down the stairs to eat his breakfast.  
"Morning mom." Dudley yawned.  
"Morning Dudley how did you sleep?"  
"Not good at all. I had a terrible nightmare. And it was a really strange one too"  
"Oh really? So do you want to tell mommy what it was about?"  
"Mom! I´m not a baby anymore so please, please speak with me like you would speak to a grown man" said Dudley in a serious tone.  
"Okay. 'Mr. Puppy' do you want to talk about your nightmare."  
"Okay. Me and Kitty" "Who´s Kitty?" interrupted Peg. "Mom she´s my coworker! You know her!" "Never heard of her" "Anyway, me and Kitty were send to search for some evidence in a kind of warehouse. But after we entered Kitty was suddenly gone and I was alone. Then a tall thing came towards me and a felt a strange kind of cold. It was too dark to see what it exactly was but it spoke to me" "And what does it said?" "I just understood some fragments that sounded like "destroy … dead … chaos … end". Then I woke up. So what do you think? Does this mean something? "  
"Well sweety … that was really a weird dream. But I don´t think that it has any meaning. So don´t spend too much time with thinking about that" As she spoke about time she looked at the clock "Oh look at the time you have to go to work." "Oh damn your right! Bye mom. " He kissed his mother goodbye and ran out of the door. "But Dudley don't forget that I´m going on vacation! You´ll be alone here for two weeks!" "Hawaii is calling isn´t it?" Dudley said laughing as he jumped into his car. Meanwhile shouted a very angry flea called 'chief' "Where´s Agent Puppy ?" through the office. "Don´t tell me he´s late again because if that is the case he won´t be employed here tomorrow!" "He … was already here chief he just … go and buy some… uhm… donuts … yeah" lied a tall tan cat girl called Kitty Katswell.  
"Okay I think that's…" "Well chief I haven´t seen a..a.. agent Puppy today." said Keswick a … well … I have to admit even I do not have any clue what Keswick exactly is. He must be a mixture of all known and unknown species of this universe and all parallel universes. "Oh great! Thanks Keswick" hissed Kitty. "You're welcome a..a..agent Katswell" "No Keswick that was … forget it"  
"Hey guys sorry for being late but I overslept again" Dudley said while rushing in the room. "Please don´t tell the chief he will just get angry and you know how his head swells when he´s angry. That´s funny but I don´t want to get in trouble so please… " "I´m right behind you agent Puppy" Dudley winced as he heard the chiefs strong dark voice. "So so so. What is your todays excuse"  
"I had a bad nightmare this night and slept not well and …"  
"That's not an excuse agent. If that happens one more time you can pack your things… "  
"I´m going on a vacation?" asked Dudley excited "NO YOU WILL GET FIRED!"  
"But…" "No more buts. And you agent Katswell if you keep on lying you´ll follow agent Puppy´s example." "Yes chief" Kitty responded. Now the chief realized that everyone around them watched them. "And to all of you gapers around here: GET BACK TO WORK!" he shouted and got back to his office. "Phew, somebody definitely got up on the wrong side of bed!" Dudley joked. "Yeah that seems so" Kitty laughed. "Kitty why did you lied for me?"  
"That´s what partners do. You would have done the same for me." Kitty said. "Kitty you know I would do everything for you" said Dudley with a grin and Kitty blushed. "Now Dudley let´s go we´ve got work to do"  
"Okay but today you … AHHHHHHHHHHHHH". Dudley began to scream sank down on his knees and grabbed his head. "AHHHHHHHHHHH PLEASE MAKE IT STOP"  
"Dudley what´s wrong with you?" said Kitty confused. "NOOOOOO GO AWAY I DON'T WANT TO NO NO NOOOOOOOOO" "Who are you talking to? Dudley? Please stop." "What´s going here?" the chief and Keswick rushed through the ring of agents that were now surrounding and gazed at Dudley. "I don't know he suddenly started to scream" meant Kitty totally perplex.  
"KILL ME BEFORE IT TAKES ME. NO LEAVE ME ALONE" these were his last words before he passed out.

**-That was the first chapter. I will publish some more if you liked it. Anyway, thanks for reading :D -**


	2. Chapter 2

"Ahhhwww" light blinded Dudley "Ahhw my head. Turn the light of!" "Oh my god Dudley your awake" Kitty said very relieved "I know that I´m awake. Could you please …" "Oh of course" said Kitty and turned off the light that shined in Dudley's eyes. "Kitty where am I?"  
"You´re in the hospital. I was so worried after your breakdown!"  
"Wait which breakdown?"  
"The breakdown you had in the office? After we´ve decided to go back to work"  
"I can´t remember anything. I just had a weird dream again"  
"Again? Weird dream? Dudley what are you talking about?!"  
"I talk about a strange dream. We´re in a warehouse to search for evidence but that's not important. You suddenly disappeared. A tall dark figure waked towards me and it´s got cold. But this time I could hear its voice better than last night!"  
"And what does it said?" asked Kitty interested.  
"The voice said 'The end … no chance … surrender' " said Dudley anxious.  
"Well Dudley that weird but I don't think that it has any meaning"  
"No meaning! You haven´t felt what I felt! It was just too real!" he said excited.  
"Dudley relax. Dreams are just dreams. They have no meaning" meant Kitty trying to calm Dudley down. "Maybe you´re right. But I really have a bad feeling about this. By the way how long I´ve been unconsciousness?"  
"Two days."  
"Two days?" he looked at Kitty in disbelief "You kidding"  
"No. It´s true. I was worried because the doctors said you´ll maybe never wake up."  
"They gave me up?! After TWO days?! " Dudley was totally stunned. They gave him up after just two days! Some people wouldn´t throw away fish that was wrapped for two days in an old newspaper. But they would throw away him after two days!  
"I´m still here Dudley" reminded him Kitty and smiled friendly "Yeah thanks for that Kitty. But I always knew that I could count on you."  
"Well Miss Katswell things ain´t look good for your partner. I don´t think he´s gonna survive the next d…" a doctor that just entered the room finally averted his gazefrom the clipboard he was holding and looked very surprised at a wide awake Dudley Puppy "Oh I meant … uhm … he´ll totally survive and can be released … uhm … tomorrow"  
"Hey wannabe Doc, you better release me NOW. If you know what´s good for you!" The doctor stepped out of range in which Dudley was easily able to slap him. "Well we have to do some test first I mean we don´t often have patient here that are so young and survived multiple apoplectic strokes." "WHAT?" Kitty and Dudley shouted surprised at the same time.  
"Yeah … at least that´s what we think…" the doctor admitted scared from both of them who looked angry at him. "But how?" Dudley asked perplexed. "That´s why I have to ask you some questions if you´re alright with that?"  
"Of course! I would answer almost anything to get the answer why I collapsed."  
"Well let´s begin. How old are you?"  
"I´m 23."  
"Okay. Did you notice symptoms such as paralysis, sensory loss, dizziness, blurred vision, speech problems , headache or dizziness?"  
"Never"  
"Do you have a balanced diet?" "Actually… no but I try to eat my veggies." laughed Dudley "Well okay how often you and your wife here having sexual intercourse?"  
"Wait wait wait … we´re not married" Dudley exclaimed red-faced while Kitty was also blushing. "Yeah we´re just friends" Kitty explained. "Oh wow … this is really awkward" the doctor said smirking. "Well do you smoke or drink?" "I sometimes drink a beer in a pub with some friends" "You drink?!" asked Kitty surprised. "Only if there´s a reason to celebrate. In this little pub called 'Shamrock' near the Petropolis park. You can visit me. I´m often there on Saturday" "Okay" the doctor interrupted them "Summarized you´re a typical young dog in his early twenties with a relative healthy lifestyle… uhm …"  
"Yeah? "  
"I don´t have any idea what´s wrong with you. But your vital functions seem normal and there´s no reason that more apoplectic strokes will occur so I think we keep you under observation for this night and if you stay firm we will release you." Dudley wanted to tell the doctor that he should forget about that but Kitty interrupted him before he could say something.  
"Dudley, I agree with the doctor. It´s for your best" She emphasized the last part emphatically  
"Good but tomorrow we´ll be back on patrol, promised?"  
"I promise you Dudley" said Kitty and hugged him.  
Hours later when Kitty already left and it was night Dudley was still haunted by this nightmare. The dark creature in his dream walked again towards Dudley. This time it´s words were even better understandable "Surrender … Surrender … Let your live go … … You can´t win this fight … you and all the others will die … your End is near". The creature tried to reach Dudley with its hand but luckily he woke up in this moment. "This gets worse every night. I should drink more coffee. I wouldn´t sleep so much then. By the way what time is it?" He looked at an alarm clock on the bed table. "Four o´clock … I don´t want to go back to sleep. I´m out of here" Dudley got out of the bed and left the hospital. The streets were empty and a cold wind blew. He walked down the street and looked around. He felt alone like you fell when you´re still awake at four o´clock. On the street were just he and the street lights. "Hello Dudley" an unknown voice whispered. "What? Who said that?" asked Dudley nervous because he couldn´t see anyone who was talking to him. He felt how he slowly began to panic and tried to fight it down.  
"A friend" the voice said while Dudley slowly moved on.  
"You have to fight IT" the voice began without preamble.  
"What is 'IT'?"  
"You will see when the time comes. It would be meaningless if I give away everything. You have to find out for yourself. But just some words of advice do not believe its lies."  
"What?" Dudley wanted to know more but the voice remained silent.  
"That was creepy. I should stop talking to voices that I imagine. That´s definitely not normal."  
So Dudley continued his way to T.U.F.F. He entered the office walked to his desk. As he wanted to open drawer and eat a Donut he was hiding from Kitty and the rest of the coworkers he heard some peculiar noises from coming the lab. "Not this time creepy voice thing. This time I have some advice for you. Little metal advices" he said and grabbed his gun out of his drawer. "That fells much better." He exclaimed and looked at his 'old friend'. Yes he really calls his gun like this. There was a time when he was new at T.U.F.F. he almost done everything with this gun. From stopping villains over shooting bottles he placed on office partition to turning the light off by shooting the light bulbs. This went so far that the chief forbidden Dudley to use his gun, apart from the missions of course. He started slowly to walk to the lab while always having his gun ready to shot. He sneaked into the bright lighted lab and saw a small figure rooting between some test tubes on one of the counters. Dudley slowly lifted his gun and pointed at the figure "Freeze!" he shouted. The figure turned with its hand up in the air around. Dudley just looked dumbfounded at it and exclaimed "What the fu…"


	3. Chapter 3

**-After a very short night I was able to finish this chapter. I hope you´ll enjoy reading ;) -**

"…uck. Keswick?! What are you doing here?" a baffled Dudley stood in the lab and pointed with his gun at Keswick "A..a..agent Puppy would you be so kindly to put down your gun?"  
"Oh of course" Dudley holstered his gun and looked back at Keswick. "So again what are you doing here?" "Well, after I lost my house … "  
"Wait. You lost your house… does this mean you live here? In the lab?"  
"Wow g..g..good work Sherlock." Retorted Keswick. "Yes I live here. Can you see the p..p..pile of old newspapers in the corner over there? That's my bed."  
"But how have you lost your house?"  
"Well, I have some problems with the R..r..russian mafia…"  
"Russian mafia? What´s wrong with you?" Dudley never thought that Keswick would cooperate with the mafia or other organs of organized crime. He thought that Keswick was a usual scientist that sat alone in his basement with test tubes and a pizza box.  
"Well, I´m working on a little let´s call it p..p..private project. The mafia supported me with some let´s call it r..r..rare substances. And that's why I´m here and not at a party because I think I l..l..lost the test tube with my experiment."  
"And your house?"  
"I had to sell it to p..p..pay the mafia."  
"Wait. You sold your house to pay the mafia to produce something that you lost now."  
"That´s the s..s..story." Keswick said baldly. "You paid for it with almost all you had how you manage it to stay so calm?"  
"Maybe I´m just c..c..cool person?" Dudley gave him an unbelieving look. "Okay I´m totally drunk" "What? You? Drunk?"  
"Yeah, as I said I would be in a club or somewhere else to celebrate the completion of my formula and also the nomination for the noble prize. I´ve been patying for five days now. In the clubs they call me KaySwag" meant Keswick and darted a drunken glance at Dudley. "But I can´t find it in here and I n..n..need it to present it to the jury"  
"Keswick…" said Dudley exhausted "Congratulations for your nomination but the best thing is that you go to your newspapers and sleep. Tomorrow when you´re sober you can continue searching." "T..t..that's genius Dudley. Even if I might forget this t..t..tomorrow." meant Keswick and blacked out right where he stood. Dudley sighed. "Great… Now I have to carry him" he thought. He threw Keswick over his shoulder and brought him to his so called 'bed'. "This week keeps getting better and better. And it´s still 3 hours till the work begins. Good that I have an idea how to spend this time" Dudley walked back to his desk. He put his gun in one of the drawers and pulled out an old ball-in-a-cup game. "Okay that could take some time." He settled back in his office chair laid his feet on his desk and tried to place the ball in the little cup. "Okay one… two… three… " the ball missed the cup "Damn. Again… one… two…three…four.. " hours passed and the office filled with people.  
"Good morning chief." Kitty said as she entered the office. "I´m going to fetch Dudley from the hospital and then we´re going on patrol."  
"Well, agent Katswell he´s already here."  
"Really? Where? "  
"He´s sitting on his desk" said the chief and pointed through the open door at Dudley who was still trying to place the ball in the cup. "Morning Dudley" she greeted Dudley cheerful. "Morning" muttered Dudley highly concentrated.  
"The ball-in-a-cup game again?"  
"Yeah this time I broke my old record."  
"Okay and what is your new record?"  
"Six."  
"…Hundred?"  
"No just six." Dudley said proud.  
"And how long you´ve been doing this now?"  
"Three hours"  
"Ooookay… Well. Let´s get to the T.U.F.F. mobile and start work."  
"Good idea Kitty. Let´s go" Both started their run to the garage. This was their usual ritual to decide who´s allowed to drive the T.U.F.F. vehicle. This time Kitty won. "Ha Dudley, getting slow on your old days?"  
"That's not fair Kitty" gasped Dudley "I was just released out of the hospital"  
"That's an argument" Kitty laughed "Now get in the car." Dudley sat down. Kitty accelerated so fast that Dudley was pressed in his seat. "Kitty please not so fast. My head still feels a bit dizzy."  
"Sorry Dudley" Kitty slowed the car down. "So why do you stay three ours in the office instead of going home and sleep?"  
"Good question. The answer is, I don´t know. Mom´s two weeks on vacation and the house is empty. I think there was just no reason for me to go home. And if Mom is home she would just annoy me." "With what?"  
"Yeah like 'Dudley why are you not like your brother.' Then I would say 'Mom he´s a 30 year old guy who uses drugs who lives with his girlfriend in some kind of crack den!' Do you know what she would answers me? She would say 'You see he has a house and a girlfriend.' Ha!" Dudley laughed with a mocking tone. "Sometimes I´m really worried if she´s still realizes what is true and what not."  
"I´m sorry for you Dudley" Kitty said sad. "Sorry for what? The whole situation is my fault. If I move out she would see that my life is moving into the right direction, you know?"  
"I think so." Kitty had no idea how to help him except offering him help if he needs it. "Dudley, be sure if you need my help I´ll be there. Just ask."  
"Thanks Kitty. Besides did you know that Keswick…"  
"Dudley did you see that?" interrupted him Kitty and pointed at the street. "Was that Birdbrain running away in panic? "  
"Uhm… I haven´t seen …" Dudley had no chance to finish his sentence because Kitty turned the car in full speed around. "Damn Kitty!" Dudley shouted "Sorry Dudley but were on a mission now!" Kitty replied. And there he was. Birdbrain. But this time it seemed that he´s not the villain, it seems he was the victim of a crime! He ran in total panic over the sidewalk. Kitty and Dudley jumped out of the car pointed their guns at Birdbrain "Kitty something is strange he don´t look like he has committed a crime!" But Kitty doesn't listen she grabbed the megaphone and shouted "Birdbrain. Stop! You´re under arrest! " Birdbrain turned around and instead of trying to escape he ran towards the agents. "Agent Puppy and Katswell good to see you please arrest me, immediately! "  
"Uhm… really? No speech no great plan no fight?" asked Dudley "no attempts to escape no complaining about that you can´t fly?" added Kitty to make Birdbrains decision certain "Yes, Yes please arrest me immediately!" "If it´s your wish" meant Kitty and handcuffed Birdbrain. "Phew, well now I´m safe I think." "Safe from what?" "From IT!" A cold shiver ran down Dudley´s spine as he heard that. IT, was IT the same IT the voice talked about? "What do you mean with IT?" "Well, IT is a … NO. PLEASE. DON´T KILL ME" suddenly Birdbrain began to cry. "I WON´T TELL YOUR SECRET. LET ME LIVE. NO! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Birdbrain´s body contorted unnaturally. "AHHHHHHH" he screamed in pain. "Oh my god. Kitty call an ambulance, fast!" Kitty detached from her state of shock and ran to the T.U.F.F. mobile. Meanwhile tried Dudley to hold Birdbrains twitching body so he could administer first aid. But Birdbrain suddenly stopped twitching and just lay motionless on the ground. Dudley took his pulse. "No pulse. Damn!" cried Dudley and began to perform cardiac massage. "Come on! You won´t die! Don´t die! DON´T DIE!" he shouted. He took his pulse again. "SHIT, COME ON! YOU HAVE TO LIFE!" he resumed his attempts at resuscitation. "COME ON!" Dudley began to hit with his fist at Birdbrains chest. "Dudley its over" whispered Kitty and laid her hand on his shoulder. "He is dead." Dudley felt sick as he heard Kitty´s words. Birdbrain was dead and he couldn´t help him. "Kitty… he… I… how?" "I don't know. We should wait for the guys from the ambulance maybe they could tell us more." "He said 'we should save him from IT' " "I know do you have any idea what he could have meant?" "No, just a faint suspicion…"


	4. Chapter 4

**- In this chapter there will be also an autopsy. Or at least I tried to describe it a as good as it was possible for me. So enjoy reading if you like to read about an autopsy. If not, well... I warned you ;D -**

"Yes yes yes. Who is my next patient today?" asked a small owl in a white coat. "It´s a blue-bottomed-booby called Birdbrain" answers a young Dog who was wearing a blue coat with the word 'pathological assistant' printed on its back. "Oh good good. Just put him on the table Terry." The dog heaved Birdbrains corpse on examination table. "Well let´s see what happened to you Mister Birdbrain… Oh, of course, Terry please don´t forget to note all we will find." "Understood Doctor Coleman" said terry and pulled his notepad out. "Okay. Then let´s see." Doctor Coleman set the scalpel gently on Birdbrains chest. He began to open torso. On the height of the right collarbone he pushed the scalpel in the skin and dragged it down to the breastbone. Then he repeated this on the left side of the body. From the breastbone he pulled the scalpel down to the pubis. "So doctor you start with a standard Y-cut."  
"Do you want to tell me something?" Asked Doctor Coleman as he folded Birdbrain´s skin and fat tissue externally.  
"This is an absolute standard autopsy! Why can´t I do this alone?"  
"Well Terry. Usually I would agree with you because that would mean that I could take a break. But this isn´t a standard autopsy." said Doctor Coleman friendly and put the bone saw on Birbrain´s breastbone. "First, this is the notorious villain Birdbrain, a blue-bottom-booby and endangered species and that is the second point. And third thing is that he died under suspicious circumstances!" "Oh and how did he die?"  
"He suddenly collapsed at the street"  
"Well Doctor I wouldn´t call that 'suspicious circumstances'."  
"Yes, but you should have heard the description of his death by the two agent that tried to arrest him." meant Doctor Coleman as he weighed Birdbrains lung he just cut out of the body.  
"Doctor I can´t see any harm of the vital organs. Also it seems like his heart is healthy so we can exclude a heart attack as cause of death."  
"Very good Terry, you´re right. All organs are healthy. Pity he had no organ donor card."  
"So maybe he had some kind of an apoplectic stroke?"  
"Yes, Terry that´s the question. But we just get an answer if we take a look at his brain. Ha, Birdbrain´s brain… sounds funny. Well, would you be so kindly to hand me the other bone saw over there?" Terry handed the Doctor the saw and watched him how he opened the skull. "Yes, okay Terry now help me to detach the skullcap. Ready? One… Two… Three!" Coleman and Terry pulled at Birdbrains head and managed to open the skull. "Oh my god" Doctor Coleman exclaimed. "Shit!" The reason for their reactions was the view on Birdbrains brain. It looked black and burned. The brain fluid was disappeared and there was this foul stench. A stench which was so terrifying, so intensive, and so different from everything Terry and the Doctor have ever smelled in the pathology that it evoked blind panic in them. And this almost indescribable stench spread through the whole pathology. "OH GOD, WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HER!" screamed Terry hysterically. He and Doctor Coleman ran out of the pathology in panic and slammed the door behind them. Both took deep breaths of fresh air as they were outside.  
"Doc what happed to him? WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM?!" "Terry calm down!" doctor Coleman shouted "CALM DOWN! WHAT WAS THIS?" Doctor Coleman had no other choice as to slap Terry to make him see reason. "Thanks Doctor Coleman… But what was this?" "I don´t know but may god rest his poor soul."  
"What´s up Dudley?" asked agent Nutz as he walked by Dudleys desk. "Nothing. I´m just…thinking. I mean Birdbrain died yesterday and I can´t get him out of my head." "Dudley your such a wimp." said agent Nutz sneering. "Nutz. Please. Piss of!" Nutz kept on laughing at Dudley and walked away.  
"I hate this guy!" Dudley stood up and walked around. He began to think about life, about his life. "Life is short I´ve seen it yesterday. I have to change something in my life, before it´s over. I want to achieve something! Maybe have a family, build my own house and plant a tree. But it´ll take some time to initiate the first steps." Dudley stopped walking in a circle and headed to the chiefs office. As he stood in front of the door he took a deep breathed and knocked on the door. "Come in!" he chief shouted. Dudley entered the room and walked in front of the chief´s desk.  
"Well, agent Puppy what´s the matter?"  
"Chief I need some time for myself"  
"Do you mean you need some kind of break?"  
"Yeah, I really need a vacation. I still can´t get Birdbrain out of my head."  
"I know what you mean agent Puppy but I can´t let you go now it´s high season for crime."  
"Chief, please , I need only a few days, please." The chief looked pensively to the ceiling  
"Well… Okay agent Puppy. But only because I´m think you need some time to think about what happened to Birdbrain. I know how you fell…"  
"Thanks chief" said Dudley smiling and went out of the office. "So now I have some time to get my life on the right way. But I have to talk to somebody first…" thought Dudley as he walked out of the T.U.F.F. building. "Hey Dudley, wait!" shouted Kitty behind him. "Hi Kitty, what´s wrong?" "What´s wrong? You´re leaving work while working hours!" "Oh, I have the chief´s permission for that so there´s no need to worry about me. I take some days off from work to think. But Kitty would you do me a favor?"  
"Of course what do you need?"  
"Could you drive me? I need to get to someone."  
"No problem Dudley, wait here I just get the car." She said and they walked to the T.U.F.F. garage. A few minutes later Dudley and Kitty sit together in the T.U.F.F. mobile.  
"So Dudley. Where we´re going?" "To the Petropolis cemetery." "Dudley you can´t visit Birdbrains grave. His corpse isn´t declassified from the pathology and …"  
"I´m not visiting Birdbrain" interrupted Dudley "Okay if not Birdbrain who then?"  
"You´ll see it soon if you want, were almost there. It´s strange that the cemetery is so close the T.U.F.F. HQ, isn´t it?" "Do you refer on the number of fallen agents in the last three months?"  
"You got me Kitty" grinned Dudley  
"Dudley that isn´t funny" exclaimed Kitty "I know but it´s kind of macabre…"  
"Were there." meant Kitty and parked the car near the cemetery. They got out of the car and walked through the great cemetery gates in silent. They walked awhile through the wide well-kept complex. Finally Kitty broke the silence "Okay Dudley could you tell me now who you want to visit here?" "Kitty, have I ever told you something about my family?"  
"Actually, no. I just know that you live together with your mother… Wait, are we visiting your father?" Dudley said nothing he just pointed with his finger on a gravestone nearby "Frank Puppy" read Kitty loud. "Dudley I´ve never knew that… Dudley … What happened to him?" asked Kitty with muffled voice " You want to hear the story? Well, it was a cold snowy January night when I saw my dad the last time. He was a cop and he had the night shift this day. I don´t remember much details just that we were angry on each other because of some stupid thing. If I´ve known that I´ll never see him again I would have told him how sorry I am and much I loved him."  
"Oh Dudley I never knew… but what…"  
"I don´t know the exact circumstances of his death but he was found the next morning drifting in the Petropolis river with a bullet hole in his chest."  
"Oh god! But how?" Kitty was shocked. She never thought that Dudley´s family had such a sad past. But that would also explain why Dudley´s mother was always so overprotective. She didn´t want to lose somebody of here family again.  
"No Idea Kitty… But I need to talk to my dad alone briefly so would you please…?"  
"Oh, okay Dudley I just walk around here so call me when you done here" said Kitty and walked slowly away. "Well, hi Dad" began Dudley "I know it´s been a long time. I have much to tell you! I´m now working at T.U.F.F. and I found new friends there and my partner there is great. We know each other just a few years now but I think she knows me better then all my other friends I know for ages! She´s my best friend and I like it to make her happy. She also suffers all my stupid ideas without being too mad." Dudley laughed "Yeah she´s really tough but I think you have to be tough as a T.U.F.F. agent… But dad, I´ve come to talk about something different. I had some nightmares in the last time and I just don´t know what to do. Also this villain Birdbrain died and that also made me think about my life. And I could really need some kind of sign something that shows me the right way, you know?" Dudley waited a few seconds. Then he sighed and looked sad at the grave. "I always ask you but I never get any response. Maybe it´s time to stop asking questions to you and start getting answers from myself for myself to start my own life… Wait … Wow that´s… that´s … that´s the answer I needed! Thanks dad" exclaimed Dudley glad. "Kitty! Where are you?"  
"I´m here!" Kitty shouted.  
"We can go Kitty, I´m done here." Meant Dudley as he ran to Kitty. "Okay I´ll bring you back home." "No could you bring me to the next estate office? I think it´s time"  
"Time to move out?" grinned Kitty "Exactly" laughed Dudley. "You´re right Dudley. It´s about time for that."


	5. Chapter 5

"Wow. That was a tough piece of work" exclaimed Dudley and looked around. He stood with clothes coated with paint in the middle of his new apartment. It was a little one-room flat in south-east Petropolis, a part of the city that was also called rat´s nest. "Well okay now I need just a need some furniture and a bed and maybe a more stable door and some kind of automatic shooting mechanisms of course. I should talk with Keswick about that, he likes to build things that hurt others…" Dudley thought for a moment about Keswick "He should really make a therapy." Dudley was torn out of his thoughts by the ringing of his cellphone. "Yeah?"  
"Hi, Dudley it´s Kitty"  
"Oh hey Kitty! What´s up?"  
"Where are you?"  
"I am in my new apartment" he announced proudly.  
"You finally bought one? Where is it?"  
"It´s in a young residential area with a …"  
"Dudley…" said Kitty annoyed.  
"Okay okay. South-east Petropolis"  
"The rat´s nest?!" shouted Kitty "But Dudley, we earn exact the same amount of money! Why are you buying an apartment there?"  
"I lost all my money recently as I invested it in Facebeak stocks" The answers that Dudley received through his cellphone were screams of laughter. "Oh my god Dudley you killing me! HAHAHA!"  
"Yeah okay. I know that was a stupid idea. So is there another reason that you called me then just laughing about me?"  
"Yeah but I changed my mind. HAHAHA"  
"Kitty" said Dudley who was the annoyed this time.  
"Okay, okay. Concentrate Kitty, concentrate." She said to herself. "We obtained the autopsy report of Birdbrain."  
"Really?" said Dudley eager "I haven´t read it yet. So why don´t you come to T.U.F.F. so we can do this together?"  
"I´ll be there in a few minutes" meant Dudley and hung up.  
Thousands of thoughts rushed through Dudley´s mind as he came closer to the T.U.F.F. building. What happened to Birdbrain? What is IT? And how is this all connected to his dreams and the voice he heard? Or is there no connection? "I´ll will get my answers soon" Dudley thought. He entered the office which was empty. But that was no surprise because it was 9 p.m. Just Kitty was sitting on her table and kept watching for Dudley. As she saw him she waved her hands. "Hey Dudley. Come here!" "Okay Kitty, let´s start with the work."  
"I thought we could talk first. I mean I haven´t seen you for almost a week now!"  
"Sorry Kitty but I´m just too curious to see the report."  
"Okay" sighed Kitty "But we talk afterwards." She put the report on the desk, opened the file and began to read. "Autopsy report Birdbrain … okay I skip the first part and start with the results… After a complete examination of the body, all organs and a complete chemically analysis of all body fluids and all tissues …" Kitty stopped and looked confused on the text "What is it Kitty? Come on, spit it out!"  
"… it was not possible to detect any cause of death."  
"Wait WHAT?"  
"Oh my … Dudley look at this!" exclaimed Kitty and handed Dudley some photos she got from the file. Dudley´s throat felt constricted as he looked at Birdbrains dead body. Especially the look at his exposed brain was terrifying. "Kitty … what happened…" "I don´t know Dudley, I´ve also never seen something like this."  
"DAMN!" Dudley shouted "DAMN DAMN DAMN!" He grabbed a coffee mug from one of the desk around and threw it against the wall. "Dudley calm down. What´s wrong?"  
"WHAT`S WRONG? LOOK AT THIS REPORT! LOOK AT THESE PICTURES! I HOPED FOR SOME ANSWERS." Dudley turned around and lowered his voice. "But all we got are more questions." "Dudley, why does this all bother you so much?"  
"I don´t know. I just have the feeling that this all is somehow connected. My dreams, Birdbrains death and the voice I heard…"  
"Which voice?" interrupted Kitty Dudley "I heard a voice the day I was released from the hospital before I arrived at T.U.F.F."  
"Dudley that's not good! Maybe you got some serious psychological problems! What told you the voice? Did the voice want you to kill you?" "Whoa, slow down! It just said that I shouldn´t believe ITS lies. Nothing more! That´s why I think this all is connected but a big piece of this puzzle is still missing." Kitty looked uncomprehending at Dudley "I see you just don´t understand me" Dudley wanted to go but Kitty grabbed his hand and stopped him "Okay let´s suppose that is really connected somehow. Who or what is behind this all?"  
"No idea but…"  
"What was that?" Kitty interrupted "What?"  
"I saw a shadow back there!" Kitty pulled her gun out of her drawer and went into the direction where she saw the shadow.  
"Dudley stay back." She said. She went some more steps until she suddenly heard noise from behind. Kitty turned around and stared in the darkness.  
"Dudley I think it ran into the lab" Kitty whispered. Dudley suddenly started to laugh loud. "What´s so funny?" Kitty hissed. "I know what this shadow is! Follow me" Dudley walked into the lab and turned on the lights "Dudley, are you crazy? If somebody´s here he knows now exactly where we are!" she said angry. "Hey KeSWAG come out!" Dudley shouted amused. "Oh my h..h..head" exclaimed a little figure out of one corner of the room. "Keswick?! What are you doing here?!" Keswick plugged his ears with his fingers in pain. "Kitty please be not so loud. Keswick has a hangover."  
"Dudley you and your jokes" Kitty laughed "That's not a joke agent K..K..Katswell. So please, lower your voice."  
"So Keswick have you found your test tube?" asked Dudley  
"Well, no. I came back yesterday from my four week party marathon and now I have the worst hangover in the history of h..h..hangovers. And now it´s time to blackout!" exclaimed Keswick and passed out. Dudley laughed while Kitty just stared speechless at Keswick.  
"Haha, okay Keswick come on stand up… Keswick? Oh not again!" Dudley lifted Keswick up carried him in his sleeping corner and thrown him on the pile of newspapers he called 'bed'. "Again?" Kitty asked confused. "Yes, the day I was released out of the hospital I found him here totally drunken. The he told me why he is here and so on and so forth. But I´ll tell you the story when I bring you home." "You bring me home? Why?" "Because this week … I get the T.U.F.F. mobile" he shouted and raced to the garage. "Ha you think you can beat me slow dog?" yelled Kitty and ran as fast as she could after Dudley. But Dudley was way ahead of her and it didn't seem that she had any chance to win this race. Both were near the elevators and instead of jumping in one of the elevators Dudley headed to the stairs "Ha!" Kitty thought "Not your best choice Dudley." She knew that the elevator was much faster than walking down the stairs even if you run. Kitty pressed the button and the elevator opened its doors. She jumped in and pushed the button for the garage. The doors closed and a terrible lift music began to play "I hate this song" Kitty said to herself "I mean it´s just da da du dubda da da du dubda… oh great now I have an earworm! Da du … Whoa!" The elevator suddenly stopped also all lights went off. "Fantastic, a blackout in an elevator. Of course totally not scary." Kitty pressed the emergency button and waited for a reaction but there was no reaction from the rescue center. "Okay let´s see what I can do against this" Kitty moved away a metal covering under the buttons and began to rearrange the cables. "I think I lost the race now" laughed Kitty. "Okay I think that´s enough now it should work." And as she said these words the lights turned on again. "Good work Kitty. Okay, why the elevator is still stuck…" Kitty looked again at the cables. She haven´t done any mistake wiring that was sure. It didn´t make any sense that the elevator was still stuck. Kitty started to bang on the door hoping that maybe Dudley would hear this. She stopped for a moment and pressed her ear against the wall to hark for a response. "Destroy" a voice whispered. Kitty took her ear of the wall and looked confused at the door. "Dead" the whisper became louder "Chaos" "Who´s there!?" she asked nervous "End… Soon" the voice said and silenced. The elevator suddenly continued moving again. "What the heck was that?" After the doors opened Kitty walked to the car where Dudley stood and already waited for her "Who´s slow now!"  
"Dudley the elevator was stuck! And stop your stupid jokes!"  
"Which jokes?"  
"You know what I mean!"  
"I don´t have any what you mean Kitty!"  
"Your stupid joke! But how did you manage it to speak through the speakers?"  
"Kitty I haven´t done anything."  
"So it wasn´t you who else said something like 'death and chaos or something'?"  
"Wait what? What was said?"  
"I don´t know exactly …"  
"Then try to remember!" meant Dudley tensed. "Okay I think it was something like "destroy, dead, chaos and end"." Dudley backed away from her terrified. "Dudley, what´s wrong?" Kitty asked confused. "That´s bad. That´s really bad"  
"What do you mean?"  
"Those are the words from my dream!"  
"But Dudley that doesn't mean anything. Maybe I just imagined it." "No no no, those are just too many coincidences. Something bad is going on here. And I will solve this mystery!" Dudley looked pensively into the darkness of the garage. Kitty watched him saying these words bewildered "Ooookay, whatever. Now would you drive me home Dudley?"


	6. Chapter 6

Dudley slammed the car door behind him. He walked with his head hanging to his apartment building. This was again a day which gave him just more questions. But what really exhausted him was that nobody believed what he said. He even began doubt his own words. "No, I´m not crazy" he tried to persuade himself. "Right?" Dudley stopped his walk and buried his face in his hands "Damn". He stood there for a while until the ringing of his cellphone torn him out of his dark thoughts. "Sms from Kitty: 'Dudley we wanted to talk, aren´t we? How about we meet next weekend? C U Kitty' " Dudley smiled and typed the words "Sounds great" in his cellphone and sent message back to her. "Okay I really need to get some furniture." laughed Dudley. He went to the door and searched for his keys in his pocket as he heard a familiar voice behind him. "Hello agent Puppy" Dudley turned abruptly around and looked at the old rat who stood in front of him "Right! It is I, Verminious Snaptrap!" Dudley immediately pulled his gun out and pointed it at Snaptrap. "Snaptrap, I really had a bad day. Give me just one good reason to not pull the trigger right away?" "That´s simple!" Snaptrap looked around and added with a quiet and nervous voice "I need your help."  
"I won´t join any of your criminal activities"  
"No not that kind of help! Could we go into your apartment? I will explain everything to you when we´re inside of your apartment." First Dudley thought that it would be a bad idea to let Snaptrap into his home, he could rob all his stuff. But when he realized that he has nothing that was worth stealing, so he opened his door. Both entered the room Snaptrap walked in the center of it and looked around. "Spartan furnished. I know that flowers and so on are not very manlike but at least some furniture would be nice." He joked with a light nervous tone in his voice "Snaptrap, what do you want?" Dudley was tired and annoyed, he wasn´t in the mood to talk to anyone an especially not to Snaptrap. "Well, agent Puppy. I need your help."  
"You already said that."  
"Yeah I don´t know how to tell that. It´s difficult."  
"Spit it out!"  
"I´m threatened by something. Something bad." Snaptrap became more and more nervous. "Snaptrap?"  
"IT killed Francisco and Larry and and …" He blurted and began to hyperventilate.  
"What?! Snaptrap calm down. Tell me what happened and what IT is." Said Dudley confused but also empathic because he felt that Snaptrap slowly panicked. "IT is just IT! A damn terrifying big thing! And IT came to me and claimed D.O.O.M.! First I rejected ITS shameless demand. We laughed about IT. Insulted IT for ITS strange appearance, we called IT 'retarded freak' and other things. We´ve done this for a while but this thing just didn´t reacted so I got angry and pointed my gun at IT."  
"What happened then?"  
"IT just looked directly in my eyes. And then I saw in the most scariest eyes I´ve ever saw."  
"Snaptrap I don´t want to hear how you fall in love with his eyes! Tell me just what happened next!" "Okay okay! IT came closer to me and whispered with ITS terrible voice: 'IT´S NOT THAT YOU HAVE A CHOICE, HAHAHA'" Snaptrap tried to imitate the voice of this IT. He did this with a distorted voice. "And then … THEN IT KILLED LARRY!" tears began to roll down his cheek "HE JUST WENT UP TO HIM RAMMED ITS CLAWS INTO HIM AND RIPPED OUT HIS DAMN HEART" Dudley was shocked. "But… How… Why?" "To show us that we have no chance! After IT killed Larry he squashed the heart between his claws and said that I´ll be next if I don´t join him! All the others… he killed them or they joined him. He gave me 24 hours to decide! And of them are just five left!"  
"Okay Snaptrap, do you have any evidence for this story? I mean it´s just too…" Snaptrap grabbed Dudley by the collar before he could say any word more. "I AM NOT LYING PUPPY!" But Dudley reacted by grabbing his arm and throwing him on the floor. Dudley pressed his foot on Snaptraps chest and pointed with his gun he just pulled out on him. Snaptrap lied there and fought for breath  
"I don´t want die Agent Puppy" he began to cry. "Please help me. You're the only one that can help me!"  
"Why I?"  
"You´re the only one I can turn to. My gang is dead or joined IT and I couldn´t ask agent Katswell or somebody else. If you don´t realized it everybody hates me! You´re somehow the only one who not always treated me like a piece of waste. And IT doesn't know you. Maybe you can find out what IT is. Maybe you can fight IT! Agent Puppy I beg you! Please, help me!" Dudley took the foot of Snaptraps chest and helped him up. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank…"  
"Wait, before I help you I still need an evidence."  
"Of course, I´ll do everything. Come with me to D.O.O.M. we have video footage of the security cameras! Come, come!" Dudley went reluctantly along with Snaptrap. He had a bad feeling about this as he drove Snaptrap to the D.O.O.M. building. But he had no other choice. As he began his career at T.U.F.F. he sworn an oath to help those who need help, to protect the unprotected and to serve justice whenever it´s needed. This oath was one of the things that Dudley really believed in. So he stuck by it no matter what happens. "Come on! We´re almost there." Snaptrap dragged Dudley behind him in the D.O.O.M. building. It was totally quiet inside in the interior. "Wait here Agent Puppy. I get the tape and the we´ll watch it on the big D.O.O.M monitor." Snaptrap ran upstairs and left Dudley alone in the cold light of the neon tubes that lighted the room. He looked around. The D.O.O.M. meeting hall was empty but something was strange, something was different. Dudley first didn´t realized what but then he saw it. A dark stain on the floor. Just to be sure, Dudley sniffed at this stain. And then he was sure this was a blood stain. "Oh crap!" "Agent Puppy, come to the monitor." Snaptrap had returned and stood in front of the big monitor on the wall of the hall.  
"Okay. Play." He pushed the play button and the video flashed up on the screen. The video showed Snaptrap and his gang sitting on a large table and eating Chinese food they probably had stolen earlier. The hall door opened and the so called IT came in. IT looked like some kind of monkey with ITS long arms and dark fur. But the appearance was deceptive because of ITS long and claws and sharp teeth in a dangerous looking jaw also it was much taller than a usual monkey. Then after some improper gestures of Snaptrap IT walked to Larry and … It was disgusting to see this like in a splatter film. Finally as after it said something to Snaptrap it looked directly into the camera. "There. You see it?" Snaptrap hit the pause button and the gruesome face of this IT was frozen on the screen.  
"I think I know this thing. I´ve seen it before"  
"What!? But how?" Snaptrap asked confused. "I´ve seen it in my dreams. No that were no dreams. Visions! That were visions!"  
"Okaaaaaay… Well, I think you have your evidence now. I ask you agent Puppy, will you help me!" Dudley looked at the screen and thought about it all. Now he had his evidence. He could also proof to everyone that he not just had dreams and that his breakdown was somehow connected to this IT. Right? No, everybody would just tell him that there is no connection between this. That this all was just a huge coincidence. They would search for this thing but it wouldn´t had a really high priority. There was just one of the bad guys killed, of course sad but not a tragedy. If he wanted to investigate in this case he was alone. "Agent Puppy?"  
"Snaptrap… I hope I won´t regret it but… you can count on me." Dudley and Snaptrap shook hands. "So what is our first step?"  
"Well the smartest decision would be that you do what IT wants and join him."  
"NO! NO NO! I asked you for help so that I not have to join him! I don´t want to work for this thing! I´ve seen what IT was able …"  
"Snaptrap that's the best for your health and you can find out what IT is plotting"  
"But…"  
"No buts! You ask for my help! That´s the only thing we can do now. We can just collect information." He said forcefully. "And now I go, I have to sleep over this entire issue. I drive back home!"


	7. Chapter 7

"Mom, please stop crying" one week has passed by since Dudley moved to his own apartment. Now he was fetching his mom from the airport and just told her the news. "How could I, Dudley! You´ll die there"  
"No Mom, that will probably not happen." Dudley regretted his words immediately "What?! No! You will get stabbed there"  
"No , Mom! I won´t get stabbed! That´s very very unlikely. Most people there get shot." Also these words he regretted. "No, Dudley! I don´t want you to get shot. You move back to my house!"  
"Forget it Mom. I like my new apartment. I even become friends with the neighbors."  
"Oh great Dudley! You become friends with the rat´s nest crack dealer club. Maybe you can become their chairman!" Peg laughed bitterly. "Dudley you know that I just want to protect you. And I know what´s best for you…"  
"No! I know what´s best for me. You´ve tried to protect me for 23 years! It´s time to let me go! I need to have my own life. I beg you, accept my new I" Peg didn´t reply. She remained silence until Dudley parked the car in front of her house. "Are you really sure about this all, Dudley?"  
"Yes. I am."  
"Then, don't let me stand in your way. But be careful sweety. I don´t want to lose you." Peg had tears in her eyes. "Mom, don´t cry again. I can look after myself"  
"Yeah, but don´t forget. If you have any troubles I'll be there for you"  
"Thanks Mom" Dudley smiled. He hugged his Mom and went back to his car to drive home. "Today is the day Kitty visits my home" thought Dudley "I should go and buy something to eat and wine and maybe…" Dudley was interrupted in his evening scheduling by his cellphone. Snaptraps picture flashed up on the cellphone screen. "Yeah?"  
"It is I, Verminious Snaptrap!"  
"Snaptrap, I don´t have much time so tell me the news!" "Okay okay. Three things. I know where the place is where IT is hiding, I have a suspicion about what IT is planning and that´s the most interesting thing I have ITS name!" "Really?" asked Dudley surprised. He never expected that Snaptrap would find out something after just a week so he stopped his car at the side of the road. "Okay now I have time for the long story. The stage is yours."  
"Well okay, first his hideout. He is hiding in an old storage hall in the harbor district. Hall number 42. I´ve done some research about this hall and it is storage for lab-equipment of the Petropolis institute."  
"Good and thoroughly research Snaptrap." Dudley admitted impressed. "I´ve done my homework agent Puppy" Snaptrap sounded very proud. "Okay, anyway, what about this suspicion?"  
"I had the chance to eavesdrop parts of some kind of self-talk. Yeah IT talks to itself. It seems that ITS next target is the Chameleon… Maybe…"  
"Why Maybe?"  
"Well as I said I just got some fragments of this strange 'conversation'. And the IT dropped the word Chameleon. But IT could have also said mother Helium."  
"Oh no! Not mother Helium, we have to protect mother Helium! Quick to the balloon factory… Come on Snaptrap stay serious. You heard what you heard and that´s at least a clue. And ITS name?"  
"Yeah, that´s funny. He called himself in another self-talk, hold your hat, Jeffrey! "  
"You kidding?" asked Dudley unbelieving.  
"No! This brutal, cruel, obnoxious thing calls itself Jeffrey!" Both began to laugh. "Good work Snaptrap! Try to find out something more, maybe Jeffrey has a surname like Miller or Fisher or anything else" "And you will try to protect the Chameleon."  
"Deal!" meant Dudley and hung up. "Ha, Jeffrey! Somehow ironic, I think." He continued his way home. And after he stopped at a shop where he bought some things for the evening with Kitty, he arrived there. Dudley rushed around and cleaned up as well as he could. He opened the wine, he got the DVD ready to watch and even cooked something. At least he tried to cook. And then the moment came that the doorbell rang. "In a minute!" he shouted and ran to the door. "Hello Kitty" he smiled Kitty in. "Hey Dudley! How are you?"  
"I´m fine. Everything is great here. But please, sit down the dinner is ready" He led Kitty with a gesture to the table and helped her to sit down. "Thank you Dudley. You´re a real gentleman" Dudley blushed a little. "So, wait here. I get the chicken." Dudley brought a totally black and burned chicken to the table. "Bon appetite"  
"Uh, um, Dudley now I suddenly remember! I already ate something at… uhm… T.U.F.F., yeah at T.U.F.F."  
"That´s a pity, but okay more for me" Dudley fell on the chicken and polished it off in seconds! Kitty watched this massacre half disgusted half amused. After Dudley finished the cremated bird he focused back on Kitty. "Okay Kitty how about a some vino?"  
"Sounds great, Dudley"  
"Well, then take a seat on the couch" While Kitty sat down on the couch Dudley opened the wine and filled it in two wine glasses. He handed one of them to Kitty. "Thanks Dudley. But I´m actually here to talk to you."  
"Okay."  
"Don´t you want to know why?"  
"Nope. It´s fun to talk with you Kitty. I don´t need a reason for that."  
"Oookaaaay… But I have a reason, I think we have to talk about your nightmares. Do you still have them?"  
"Kitty it´s crazy but their gone" Dudley tossed down his wine and refilled his glass. That was a lie, the nightmares became worse. Every night he understood more and more of Jeffereys words. These words let intuit nothing good. "You have no chance to survive. Surrender now and I´ll make your death not so painful." The only thing that let him not went insane was that there has to be a reason why Jeffrey can´t left him alone. Maybe he is afraid of him, so he wants to break him. "That´s great for you Dudley!" said Kitty and tossed down her wine. Dudley refilled her glass, but he looked at her with a searching look. "What?" she asked.  
"What´s wrong Kitty?" Kitty sighed  
"Okay. I begin to have nightmares. They´re very similar to yours. The storage hall, you disappear, and then this thing."  
"Wow, that´s very similar" Both, Dudley and Kitty, tossed down their wine.  
"That´s a good wine"  
"Want some more?"  
"Yes, please." Dudley opened another bottle and refilled their glasses.  
"Well, the thing is, also others begin to have this dreams." Kitty continued.  
"Really?"  
"Yeah my Mom called me yesterday and told me her dream. Also very similar. What a coincidence, isn´t it?"  
"Yeah coincidence… And what does the thing in your dreams say?" "It says just 'You will die!'" Again Dudley and Kitty tossed their wine down. "Hey Kitty I have a DVD here that we could watch" Dudley tried to change the subject.  
"What movie is it?" "Hmm… I grabbed the first movie I found in the store and I haven´t had time to read the title." Dudley glanced at the DVD-case and looked up with tormented expression in his face. "Uhh… That´s the worst movie ever. I didn´t know that they still sell it!"  
"Which one is it?" Also Kitty looked at it  
"Godzilla vs. Mega Godzilla vs. Alien King Kong? That can´t be a real movie!" she exclaimed.  
"It is! In this movie Godzilla fights against Mega Godzilla until Alien King Kong appears! 180 minutes of pure nonsense! Sorry Kitty." Kitty stared at the case and began to smile "Well I haven´t seen it. Let´s watch it. Maybe it´s not so bad. " Kitty was hopeful, Dudley on the other hand was ready for the worst. 180 minutes and three bottles of wine later the movie was luckily over. Both sat shocked on Dudley´s couch. "Oh my Gawd! I´ve never sean somezing soooo bad." Kitty seemed to be totally drunk. "But you have to admit as all threee fused togefer to Mega Alien Kongzilla waz really funnay!" exclaimed Dudley who was on the same level as Kitty. "No please, I don´t want to disc… disc… talk over the movie"  
"Wellllll then… let´s chainzze the subjzect" mumbled Dudley "I haven´t showed you ze apartment yeht, haven´t I?"  
"Dudley that´z a super fantas… fantas… good idea!" Dudley stood up from the couch and swayed in the middle of the room. "Whooo, thiz wine works faaaaast. Okai you´ra now in my kitchen slash living rooom slash corrayhdohr!"  
"Impress… Impress.. Cool!" Dudley staggered to another door. "And that´z the bathshroom" "Uhhhhhhhh… And it iz so clean"  
"Yeah that waz hard work" Dudley looked proud at his bathroom and continued then the house tour "And that´z my Bedroom. Even my bed is cleaned up!"  
"Uhhh… you have now a double bed" Kitty began to grin. She got slowly closer to Dudley. "Kitty? Everything okay?" "Everything is per… per... fine." Dudley got nervous. "Uhm, what ahre you up to?" "Just teh best." Kitty began to kiss Dudley who didn´t resisted against it. He even seemed to enjoy it. As they moved apart Dudley looked her in her deep green eyes. "Kitty are you really suhre about thiz? I mean we are very drunk and maybe we´ll regret thiz tomorroow and…"  
"Dudley dun´t think tooo much." Kitty said in a drunk but seductive way. "Let´s do something crazyyy. I mean we are young. So … any ideaz what we gonna do next?"  
"Oh, yeah I have one" He grinned and lifted her up and carried her to his bed…  
Well, I will keep silent about what happened next but let´s say… two very drunk people had very much fun. And by seeing the coming events Dudley really deserve a moment of happiness, before he walk through the valley of sorrow and pain. But I jump ahead. Let´s continue this chronologically.


	8. Chapter 8

Peg Puppy couldn´t sleep. She tossed and turned all night in her bed. Her house was empty and she also felt empty. She had this feeling since today as she stepped into her house after Dudley told her that he´s now living alone. Peg felt alone. No one would be there tomorrow she could wake up and no one would be there who came home at the evening. She stared at the ceiling. "I don´t think that I´m going to sleep this night" She sat up in her bed and felt dizzy. "Time…" a quiet voice in her head whispered. Peg shook her head. "I should get myself a glass of water." She stood up and walked slowly out of her bedroom. "Time…" there was it again. But who said that? "Hello? Is there somebody?" peg called out in the darkness of her house. "Dudley is that you?" No one responded. Her imagination must playing tricks on her. That was sure. She continued her way down the stairs to the kitchen. There she opened a cupboard and got a glass out of it. After filling it with tab water she sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and drank it. "Time …"  
"What is this? From where comes this sound? Does it come from the gas pipes? Is here a gas leak somewhere?" She sniffed around but didn´t smelled gas. No gas and nothing else. That was strange because usually she would have smelled the typical smell of her house. The old couch, the ham she stored in the cellar and of course the stench of Dudleys old socks which were still laying around somewhere. But now there was nothing to smell. "What´s wrong with me? Maybe I caught a cold… I know what will help." She stood up and walked again to the cupboard. "Where is the… ah there is it." The old pack of painkillers was a bit dusty but they should do their work. Peg took two of them out of the pack and swallowed them without water. "Time …" the voice was still there and it seemed to become louder. So Peg took a hand of them out of the pack and swallowed them. "That should be enough."  
"Time…"  
"WHO THE HELL IS THERE?" Peg shouted. She got nervous. This went from strange to creepy. "Time…"  
"LEAVE ME ALONE"  
"Time…" Peg ran through the house and checked the doors, all of them were locked. Nobody could be in the house. But from where comes this voice? "Time…"  
"Okay enough!" Thought Peg. She ran upstairs to her bedside table and opened the drawer. In it laid Dudleys fathers old magnum. She always had it nearby in case somebody broke into the house or … yeah exactly for this case. It was the spare gun of her husband. The real one was never found after his death. They searched for it but nobody found it. The gun wasn´t so important anyway but it would be a nice as a memento. Maybe somebody found the original magnum and kept it. Pegs grip around the handle of the gun and she felt immediately safer. "Time… "  
"STOP IT" She pointed the gun aimless around in her bedroom. Maybe she got a gun but no one had ever taught her how to shoot. "GO AWAY. And you won´t get hurt!" Peg heard a sound from downstairs. It sounded like somebody forced the door open and that made her stood frozen in the room. "Whoever you are. GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" she shouted out of her room. "I HAVE A GUN. AND I WON`T HESITATE TO USE IT" Her voice was cracked of fear. "Time…"  
"I REPEAT! GO AWAY!" she didn´t received an answer. A sinister stillness lay in the air but the worst about the situation was beside the panic see started to feel was that nothing happened. There was no one trying to attack her or trying to steal anything. See didn´t even see someone. She just heard this voice. "No" thought Peg "this is my house! I will defend it." With growing courage headed Peg to the stairs, always looking around for the intruder. She walked carefully down the stairs and reconnoiters the corridor. "Everything is quiet down here" thought Peg. She kept on walking to the kitchen and tried to secure room like she saw it in one of these spy movies. Everything in the kitchen seemed normal even the back door from which she thought it was forced open was still closed. "What´s wrong with me? Am I crazy?" She put down the gun and noticed the empty pack with painkillers on the table. "I can´t remember that I took all of them… but if I did that would explain my acoustic hallucinations."  
"Time…"  
"Ha, not this time you creepy drug induced voice." The fear Peg felt was gone now that she could explain herself the origin of this voice. She turned around and was about to walk back to her bedroom she saw a shadow flitting across the corridor. "Calm down Peg, calm down. You had too much pills. The best thing is…" Something suddenly behind her moved. Peg turned around and saw just a dark wall of fur. As she looked up a sharp row of white teeth smiled at her. It opened its mouth and growled "Time…" The shock was writ large in her face. That was definitely no hallucination. Peg put the gun at the belly of that tall thing and pulled the trigger. She closed her eyes and shot at it until the gun made a clicking sound. She opened her eyes again and saw six holes in the chest of this thing out of which blood poured. Again Peg looked up in its face. It still stood there and grinned as if nothing happened. "Time…" the bullets had no effect on it! The claws of the thing began slowly to move towards Peg. The paw came closer and Peg wasn´t able to move but as the claws almost touched her shoulder she took heart to dodge its grip. She turned around and ran upstairs. Her heart was beating in panic and only one thought rushed through her mind. "Somewhere upstairs had to be some bullets! I have to kill this thing!" And only a little voice in her head thought "Haven´t you saw this? You can´t fight it! You fired a whole load of bullets in his stomach and he just didn´t care! ESCAPE! NOW! " but the panic arise in her head made this voice really quiet. In her bed room she rummaged through the drawers of her bedside table. "WHERE`S THE DAMN AMMO!" she screamed. Her panic increased as she heard heavy footsteps walking up the stairs. "NO!" Peg searched in the closet. Nothing. Under her bed. Nothing! The steps came closer and closer. Peg had no more chance to defend herself so her only option was hiding in her closet. The door of the room smashed open right in the moment when Peg hoped into the closet. The creature walked slowly in the middle of the room and looked around "Time… Peg, Time…" "Why does it know my name?" whispered Peg.  
"I know many things" It turned its head towards the closet and opened the doors. "What do you want from me" She crouched into the corner of the closet and held her hands protecting in front of her. "I have no money!"  
"No madam, you don´t understand." The creature said in a friendly tone. "I don´t want your money. It´s time…" The grotesque appearance on the one hand and its friendly and cultured behavior on the other hand confused Peg. "Time for what?!"  
"Time… to have some fun!" The creature grabbed her by her throat and pulled her out of the closet. Peg tried to breath but her throat was too constricted by its grab. It held her with one paw in the air and stroked her cheek gently with his other paw.  
"We will have much fun. Well to be honest, I will have much fun!"


	9. Chapter 9

Dudley was totally relaxed. He lay in his bed with his eyes still closed. He just woke up from a perfect sleep. He has drunken much wine with Kitty yesterday and didn´t even have a hangover. No hangover but also no memories. What happened yesterday? He walked in his mind through his memories of last night. Last thing he remembered was the middle part of the movie they watched. The part where Alien King Kong has torn off Mega Godzillas arm. That was not a nice memory but at least a memory. But after this point it was just black. Nothing left. He opened his eyes and realized that he lay on his back because he saw the ceiling of his bedroom. "I hope Kitty found home." Dudley turned left and saw … Kitty! "Oh, okay Kitty slept here. That´s good, she was too drunk to drive yesterday. " He turned back on his back and looked at the ceiling again. "Wait…" Dudley turned again to Kitty and eyed her accurately. "Okay, even if she was too drunk to drive, why is she laying in my bed with me and above all why is she naked?!" Dudley turned again to the ceiling. "What happened?!" Dudley was really annoyed. "Story of my life! I remember this crappy movie but the really interesting part of the night is gone." Dudley turned again back to Kitty. He was unsure if he should wake her up or avoid a confrontation with her. But he also had no chance to walk away, he was in his own apartment. The decision was made for Dudley by Kitty. She opened her eyes and looked confused to the ceiling. "Where am I?" She asked "You´re in my apartment" Kitty turned abruptly around and looked startled at Dudley. She seemed not to expect an answer. "Dudley what are you doing here?! Why are you undressed?"  
"I could ask you the same." Kitty looked under her blanket. "Why am I undressed?! Dudley what happened last night?!"  
"I don´t know, do you remember anything?"  
"No, you?"  
"No, but maybe we haven´t… you know"  
"Of course Dudley! We were just tired so we lay in your bed. Then it was too warm under the blanket so we both undressed."  
"That is possible…"  
"Okay" said Kitty "How do you explain this." Kitty pointed at a used condom which was laying on the ground beside the bed. "Uhm… well…" "Oh my god Dudley there are more of them" Dudley sat up in the bed and saw a number of used condoms "Whoa… We had fun last night Kitty… Damn, it´s a shame that I can´t remember anything" Kitty gave Dudley an angry look. "That´s not funny Dudley" "Why? Why is that not funny?"  
"Because…" Kitty wasn´t able to answer him this question. That really surprised her. "Right. We´re both grown up and we like each other, aren´t we?"  
"Yeah" Kitty looked shy to the ground. "So maybe this was supposed to happen"  
"Yeah you´re maybe right but does this change anything between us? Are we a couple now or are we go on like before?" Dudley had no answer on this question. He remained silent and stared at the wall. But finally Kitty had an idea. "Okay let´s handle it like this. We talk with no one about this incident. We wait and then we talk about this again in a few days." Dudley didn´t liked this suggestion. Of course he liked Kitty and of course he could imagine having a relationship with her because he always had a crush on her. That was the reason why he always acted so stupid at his first years at T.U.F.F. He always felt nervous when she was nearby him and so he tried to impress her by doing the most dangerous stuff. But this waiting tactic was just unsatisfactory. "Okay, I do this because I think it´s the best for our friendship. But we´ll talk about this later, okay?"  
"Okay. Now Dudley close your eyes. I need to collect my clothes and then I get a shower." Dudley leaned back and closed his eyes. Kitty got out of her bed and began to collect her clothes from the ground. Even if Dudley didn´t want to peek at her he couldn´t resist doing it. He smiled as the naked Kitty bend down for picking up her bra. "Hihihi" thought Dudley "I wish I´d have a camera or a photographic memory." As Kitty finally was in the bathroom Dudley stood up. He walked to his closet and put his T-shirt on. But he felt weird, something was strange. Even if he wore his T-shirt he still felt kind of … naked. His hand slid like it was led by an unknown force to a lower drawer of the closet. He pulled out the only pants he had. His mother forced him years ago to buy this one for special occasions. He put them on and… it felt good! "What´s going on? I thought I hate pants…" He walked around. "That feels pretty good." After careful consideration he decided to keep them on. "Dudley! You wearing pants?! " Kitty just came out of the bathroom. "I´m just as surprised as you." Dudley admitted. "But why? "  
"It just… feels good. What do you think?" Kitty looked at him and grinned "You look like an adult in them."  
"Thanks… I think?"  
"Yes, thanks is correct." She laughed. "Okay time to go to work."  
"It´s a shame my vacation is over. Anyway let´s go."  
"I drive!" shouted Kitty and ran out of the door. "Oh, Come on!"  
Downstairs Kitty waited on the driver´s seat as Dudley walked out of the building. "You´re really getting old!"  
"Hey I´d won but I had to barricade the door"  
"You mean you had to lock the door." "No, Barricade. It´s not enough to lock it in this district. You have to barricade it with something. The burglar here are very creative. Anyway work is waiting" Dudley got in the car and they drove off. "Hey Kitty I think I lost my communicator. Do you still have yours? "  
"Yeah but … oh its off. Here turn it on and check the radio." Dudley switched the communicator on. The distorted voice off the chief called out of the speaker. "Agent Katswell, can you hear me. Over." "Here is agent Puppy, agent Katswell is driving the car. Over. " "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU TWO. YOUR ONE HOUR LATE. OVER!" he yelled into the microphone. "We´re on our way chief. Over. "  
"No you two have a new case. A peculiar incident in the Petsburg-Avenue. The police called us for help. You two investigate in this. Keswick is already there he´ll tell you more. Over. " "Understood chief. Over out." Dudley switched the device back off. He looked worried at Kitty "Kitty. My Mom lives in the Petsburg-Avenue."  
"Don´t worry Dudley. I don´t think something happened."  
Kitty turned the car left into the Petsburg-Avenue. The police operation was clearly visible from the distance. "Kitty they are all around my house! What do they want there" Dudley felt like a confused little child. Kitty said nothing. Instead of Dudley who suppressed it or didn´t want to understand Kitty began to realize that something terrible happened here. Kitty has seen this a hundred times. The police officers, the yellow crime scene tape with the letters 'do not cross' on it. She parked the car and both got out of it. Keswick already walked towards them. "Good morning you two. Ah a.. a.. agent Puppy I see you wear pants toda…"  
"DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT THIS IS IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW!" Dudley yelled at Keswick. "Okay, okay… I just w.. w.. wanted to start a conversation. I`M SORRY FOR BEING NICE! " Keswick yelled back. Luckily Kitty intervened in this moment else Dudley would have beaten up Keswick. "Both of you CALM DOWN. Keswick. What happened here?" "Well" Keswick adjusted his glasses looked down at his clipboard and looked back at her. "We found the corpse upstairs in the bedroom."  
"CORPSE!?" screamed Dudley. He broke through the police barricades. He rushed upstairs but stopped in front of the sealed bedroom door. His hand slid slowly to the door handle. He didn´t want to enter the room. His stomach contracted, his heart began to beat chaotic, he felt hot and cold at the same time all in all the pure panic ruled him. He knew that whatever was in there would shock him change him or maybe break him. He was about to turn around and go but he also was unable to life with the uncertainty. The uncertainty not to know what is behind this door. "Dudley… you don´t have to go in there." Kitty appeared behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. "No, I have to do this. It´s about my Mom…" He pushed down the door handle and opened the door. What he saw there took his breath away from him. He heard Kitty from behind whispering "No…". The whole furniture of the room except the bed was destroyed. The bed was covered in blood. A body which was tied on the bed was mutilated beyond recognition. The face was just one big scratch. No more things like nose or eyes were apparent. The chest was torn open and several organs were missing. They were lying around the bed in a kind of circle. Only the heart was missing in this disgusting circle of death. The heart was lying beside a wall. Dudley stepped into the room and walked to this wall. He couldn´t believe what he saw there. Over the whole wall was written with blood.  
"Your move Puppy." Dudley felt like he just observed this all from outside. He felt like he stood next to himself and watched him. "Who would be so cruel to do something like that to anybody else?" Dudley asked himself "WHY MY MOM" shouted at the in blood written letters. "WHY MY MOM? WHY I? "  
"Dudley, let´s get out of here. I…" she had no idea what to say to him. This was clearly his mother on the bed she had like Dudley no doubts about this. Even if the body was mutilated the build of Peg´s body and this would match perfectly to each other. Kitty tried to move Dudley out of the room. She took his hand and pulled him out of there and out of the house. Outside Dudley began to speak with hoarse voice. "Kitty. Jeffrey killed my Mom" Dudley finally realized what Snaptrap told him on the phone yesterday. Snaptrap didn´t understood mother Helium. But the word mother was right. Dudleys Mom. That was Jeffreys target. "Kitty. My Mom…" Kitty hugged Dudley "I´m sorry Dudley. So sorry." Tears ran down her face. "You don´t have to be sorry Kitty." Dudley was emotionless. Keswick came to them. "W.. W.. What´s the matter?"  
"Keswick" Kitty wiped the tears away. "the victim is probably Dudleys Mom"  
"Oh my… agent Puppy I.. I.. I´m sorry."  
"You two don´t have to feel sorry… but I don´t think that I can be objective in this case." Keswick and Kitty looked confused at Dudley. "Dudley, if I can do anything to help you. Just ask." "Can you bring my mother back to life?" he asked "No, I don´t think so. There´s nothing except one thing. Could you drive me back to the T.U.F.F. base"  
"No Problem" Kitty turned to Keswick "Can you manage this on your own?"  
"Bring him away from here K..K..Kitty don´t think about me."  
"You´re the best Keswick."

**- Well, I´m half way done with this story and I´m of course interested in your opinion. So how did you like it so far? Write it in the reviews. Thanks :) -**


	10. Chapter 10

Kitty got out of the T.U.F.F. mobile. The whole drive Dudley just stared at his feet. He didn´t talk or looked or -and at least that´s what Kitty thought- not even blinked. "Dudley. Would you like to get out of the car?" Dudley didn´t respond to that. "Okay if you don´t want to, it´s okay. I go to the chief and tell him that we don´t take on this case." She didn´t felt good to leave him back at the car but she also couldn´t help Dudley if he didn´t want to talk to her. She stepped into the elevator and pushed the button of the sixth floor, where the office was. As the doors opened again she walked through the office to the chief´s door. She knocked at it and entered the room. "Chief?"  
"Agent Katswell?" the chief was sitting in his chair and stared lost in thoughts at the monitor of his computer. "I wanted to inform you that agent Puppy and I are unable to do further investigations in our case…"  
"Don´t bother… I already heard about that from Keswick." The chief hopped on his table and began to walk in circles on it. "Agent Katswell, I have some alarming news. Look at this." The chief turned the monitor on his table around so Kitty could see it. "Is that really Dudley?" On the screen was a picture shown on which Dudley talked with Snaptrap. The chief jumped on a button on the keyboard and another picture appeared. On this one Snaptrap grabbed Dudleys collar and shouted at him. "There a more of them. We assume that Dudley trade information to Snaptrap."  
"I refuse to believe this chief. Dudley is no traitor"  
"That are not the only evidence we have. We tapped his cellphone. He talk to Snaptrap yesterday at 6 o´clock pm. Here, read the protocol." The chief handed her a piece of paper. Kitty couldn´t believe what she read there. It was really a conversation between Dudley and Snaptrap. This was clear evidence that Dudley collaborated with their enemy but she just didn´t get the sense of the conversation. "Our experts are still trying to decode the message. We found out that mother Helium is a secret code for 'Lie to her, 'humm'. We still try to figure out what was meant with humm… "  
"I don´t think that 'humm' has any meaning... By the way, what is this Jeffrey? "  
"We don´t know. Maybe a name of another contact Person? Anyway we will react to these accusations." The chief stopped walking around his table and looked at her.  
"Chief, do you really want to fire him?! He just lost his mother! You can´t…"  
"No, we just want to interrogate him. I´m maybe the mean chief, agent Katswell, but not an asshole! We give him a change to justify himself… But I also informed the T.U.F.F. supreme command and they said they also want to ask him some questions" The chief looked like he was afraid of something as he said that.  
"Oh okay. It´s the best I bring him to the interrogation room."  
"That´s already done. Follow me." The chief jumped of his desk and walked through the door. Kitty followed him through the office to the elevators. They got in and pushed the button for the basement. "Kitty there´s one more thing. Snaptrap was seen yesterday in the Petsburg-Avenue with someone else. We think that it has something to do with this incident."  
"You think Dudley is involved in his mother´s death?!"  
"We don´t think that he have killed her but we have to investigate every hint." Kitty knew that this was a lie because they were together as the murder happened. The elevator stopped and the chief stepped on a sterile long white corridor. Neon tubes spread an unpleasant yellow light. The part of this reminded Kitty always on a horror movie she watched when she was younger. The walls just needed some bloody handprints and somebody who sings a children´s songs with a manic voice. Perfect for a horror movie and perfect to prepare somebody for an interrogation. The agency realized years ago that it is the best to make it as uncomfortable as possible for the people who get interrogated. With that tactic you receive the best results. "In this room" The chief opened the door for Kitty and guided her into the room. Through a window she saw Dudley sitting on a table. He was still staring at his feet. Kitty waved her hand but remembered that Dudley couldn´t see her through the window. It was one of these windows which were a mirror when you try to look through it from the other side. "Who will do this?"  
"Agent Scarecrow"  
"Okay…" said Kitty and looked through the window. Agent Scarecrow entered a few minutes later the room and set on the other side of the table. Dudley didn't deign to look at him. He continued staring at his feet. "So agent Puppy. I heard you had a little meeting with Snaptrap. " Dudley remained silent. "We have some photos here…" Scarecrow threw the pictures of him and Snaptrap on the table. "And we have the protocol of a little conversation between you two."  
"That had no meaning. It´s personal." said Dudley.  
Scarecrow sighed and stood up. "Dudley, come on!" Scarecrow said in his deep voice. "I mean what is that? Are you really collaborating with Snaptrap? The chief will fire you if you won´t explain that!" Dudley kept on staring. "Okay. I didn´t want to do this but… Snaptrap was seen yesterday nearby your mother´s house with someone else. What does this have to do with you?" Dudley slowly averted his gaze form his shoes and looked stunned at Scarecrow. "How dare you! I haven't killed my mother!"  
"Then tell me where have you been last night."  
"I was in my apartment."  
"Can somebody witness this?"  
"Ask agent Katswell." Kitty could feel how the chief glanced at her even if she didn´t see that. This was totally embarrassing for her. She turned to the chief and nodded. The chief didn´t respond he just smirked. "So Dudley. Now that you're in a talkative mood. Let´s talk about these photos"  
"Oh great…" Dudley realized in this moment that this was a trick from Scarecrow to make him talk. "Okay back to you and Snaptrap"  
"I won´t tell you anything. Like I already said, it´s personal"  
"And I said that you get fired if you don´t you don´t tell us." Dudley didn´t responded and started to stare at his feet again. "It can´t be so hard to crack this guy." Thought Scarecrow "I mean it´s Dudley… Wait, yeah, that should work" He turned to the mirror and began "Dudley, what would your mother say if you lose your job? I think she wouldn´t like it. It would be terrible for her that you lost the job you loved so much." Dudley looked first angry but his expression suddenly changed. He began to laugh loud. "Haha that could be her words! Haha." Agent Scarecrow stepped confused back. He expected a more violent reaction from Dudley. "At least he shows any emotion. Even if these are unexpected one." Kitty meant behind the glass "You´re right Kitty, but we should keep an eye on him. He´s maybe mentally unstable."  
"Wouldn´t you after you lost your mother?" asked Kitty.  
Dudley stopped laughing and began to tell his story. "I helped Snaptrap because he needed my help. His organization was taken over by a thing called Jeffrey."  
"Jeffrey?" asked Scarecrow unbelieving. "I know but I didn´t invent this name. Anyway, Snaptrap didn´t want to join this thing so he came to me. But I could persuade him to pretend to join Jeffrey. And now he is spying out Jeffrey for me."  
"And why?"  
"Because of this dreams I had the last weeks and because of the murders." "So you also got this drea…" Scarecrow was interrupted by the chief who rushed into the room. "Agent Puppy! We don´t help our enemies!"  
"Are you blind or don´t you want to see it? Jeffrey gives us all these nightmares. He killed Birdbrain somehow, he killed Larry and I think… he killed my Mom"  
"You don´t have any evidence for that. Agent Puppy!"  
the chief buried his face in his hands. "Agent Puppy, I have no other choice then to suspend you for…" "WHAT! I HAVE SWORN AN OATH TO PROTECT THE HELPLESS! AND YOU WANT TO SUSPEND ME BECAUSE I KEEP THIS PROMISE?!" Dudley shouted at the chief. He grabbed the chief and pulled near to his face. "Dudley please. Don´t do something you regret latter." Kitty held him back. "Okay, okay. I´m suspended. Okay. I go." Dudley let the chief down and rushed out of the room and headed to the elevator. "I better look after him. He shouldn´t be alone now." She said to the chief and ran after him. "Wait Kitty, watch out that the T.U.F.F. supreme command guys don´t get him. They won´t…" but Kitty was already too far away to hear the end of this sentence.  
"Dudley wait!" Dudley walked in front of her towards the elevator. But this time he didn´t take the lift, he used the stairs. "Dudley, please talk to me."  
"About what?! That I followed the ideal I had and get my assed kicked because of that? That my mother died? That I feel guilty but not sad about Moms dead…"  
"You don´t feel sad about your mother dead?"  
"The only feeling I have is guilt."  
"Dudley, this isn´t your fault it´s…"  
"No if I realized in time what Snaptrap meant Mom would be still alive." He left the stairwell and walked into the office. As he stepped in the whole room became quiet. Everybody watched him while he moved to his desk and began to pack his things. "Wow messages spread fast in this building." thought Kitty. The others began to surround Dudley´s desk and kept on watching him. "WHAT?" Dudley shouted at the crowed. "Hey agent traitor! Where are you going?" Agent Nutz stepped out of the crowd. "You know exactly what is going on here. Piss off!" meant Dudley. "What´s wrong momma´s boy? Did your lover 'Jeffrey' hurt you? I heard you are in a relationship with him. By the way, congratulations to that momma´s boy" The crowd behind Nutz gasped. They never thought that Nutz would insult him like that. They thought he would say something about that he was a traitor but that was too much. "How did you call me?" Dudley came very close to Nutz. "You heard it. Momma´s b…" Nutz couldn´t speak no more word. Dudley punched his fist into Nutz face. Nutz tried to defend himself by punching Dudley´s ribs. Dudley flinched in pain and Nutz tried to hit his throat. But Dudley was able to caught his fist and pulled him close to him and lifted him up. "Let me goooo…" shouted Nutz but Dudley threw him over his table. Nutz tossed all of Dudley´s stuff from the table. He lay groaning on the floor. "Okay, I surrender." But Dudley didn´t even think about stopping. He pulled Nutz up grabbed his head and punched it at the edge of his desk. He looked at Nutz who not tried to defend himself anymore. The he bumped his head again against the table. And again and again and again. "Oh my god, he´s killing him! He´s killing him!" someone from the crowd screamed. The chief stepped out of the circle. "What´s going on here?! Agents! Separate those two!" Nobody moved. "OH COME ON! You five!" the chief pointed at a group of agent who stand at the first row of the crowd "Pull Dudley away from him!" The five ran to Dudley who still not stopped hitting Nutz head against the desk. The agents grabbed Dudley´s the arms and legs. The fifth of them grabbed Dudley´s head. Not because this was necessary, no just too pretend that he is doing something. Dudley tried to get them off but five against one… it´s hard to win this. Kitty watched the whole fight completely speechless. She never expected that Dudley would be capable to do that. Even if Dudley was hard against the villains he was deep in his heart a peace loving guy. Meanwhile it seemed that the crowed didn´t dissolve and formed a circle around Nutz who lay unconscious on the ground. Keswick kneed next to him and examined his wounds. "We have to c..c.. call an ambulance. Hell. What´s gotten into agent P..P..Puppy?"  
"He´s went crazy as Nutz mentioned his mother." Shouted someone out of the crowd. "Well I know that Nutz was a b.. b.. bastard but even he don´t deserve this." Kitty looked at Dudley who was dragged out of the office by a bunch of strange looking agents. "Who are these agent´s? Where are they going to bring him?" She asked herself. "That are supreme command a..a..agents and they´ll bring him to the kappa-wing of c...c..course" Keswick answered who heard the question. "What is the  
kappa-wing?"


	11. Chapter 11

Dudley saw blurred lights passing by. He was carried on a stretcher through a long hallway. Unable to move, weak and tired but somehow satisfied. They had sedated him earlier because he was so mad that he beat up agents Nuts. "This bastard deserved it" said Dudley slobbering to himself. The stretcher turned left and began to slow down until it stopped. "So agent Puppy. We will bring you into a nice warm cell where you can calm down." Someone said. Dudley couldn´t recognize the voice and also the look at the person didn´t make it better. Dudley saw just a big white stain. "Okay big white mass" giggled Dudley. Almost no longer in control of himself he was laid on a soft bed. The last thing Dudley noticed was that the 'white mass' was locking the door behind it. He was too weak to move so he closed his eyes and fall asleep. "I need rest. Rest is the best. Hihi…"  
Meanwhile in the office Kitty was still talking to Keswick. "You never heard of the kappa-wing?"  
"No, what is it?"  
"Well, it´s some kind of cell complex. We don´t use it. It´s just for the supreme c..c..command. They mostly bring prisoners there after they got a sp.. sp.. special treatment." Kitty was confused "Special treatment?"  
"I´m afraid if you haven´t h.. h.. heard of it your security clearance is to low. I can´t tell you more a.. a.. agent Katswell. It´s top secret."  
"You could almost think that you torture prisoners down there." Kitty laughed but as Keswick didn´t answer, she realized. "Oh my god you´re really torture them, aren´t you?"  
"Shhh. A.. a.. agent Katswell, be quiet. As I said, that's top secret."  
"Tell me more about this or I´ll shout it through the office."  
"Okay, but not here. Follow me." She followed Keswick through the office to the lab. Keswick walked into the corner where the pile of newspapers was. He sat down on it. "Okay, now tell me. Why are WE torturing people? I thought, we are the good guys!" Keswick began to laugh. "Oh your so  
c.. c.. cute Kitty. What do you think where we get the most intel for our cases?"  
"From interrogations, because torture is unethical!" Kitty said in a know-it-all manner. Keswick started to laugh louder. "Unethical. That's the b..b..best! Do you really think that we would gain any information just by talking to the people? If someone was for e..e..example in a gulag he won´t tell you anything in a nice face to face talk. Sometimes a n..n..nail have to be ripped out or a tooth or both at the same time. There is a funny story about that when the blood…"  
"I don´t want to hear it" she interrupted him. Torture at T.U.F.F.! That was something she didn´t want to hear about. Especially no pseudo funny tales out of the blood dungeon. "And what are they doing to Dudley?"  
"Whatever the T.U.F.F. supreme command says. But I think he´ll just have to stay there till he´s mentally more stable. At least I hope"  
"You hope?!"  
"I´ve told you already too much. Please leave the lab now. I have to do some science." Keswick pulled an old mp3-player out of his breast pocket and plugged his ears with the ear buds. Kitty just stared unbelieving at Keswick. Finally she to come to a conclusion "I have to get Dudley out of there… but I´ll need some help. And a plan…" In the meantime woke Dudley after a few hours of intensive sleep. He pressed both of his hands against his forehead. "Ohww… My skull explodes!" He stood up and walked to the little white sink which looked like a standard prison cell sink. He splashed water in his face. "Where am I?" Dudley looked around. He was in some kind of cell. The different between this and a normal prison cell was that this one was completely white. "You put a white dog in a white cell…" And as he wondered if they can even see him in this cell somebody opened the door. "Mr. Puppy? Would you be so kindly to follow me? We have some questions for you."  
"But I always failed in tests." The big guy in his white clothes laughed. His voice sounded like the voice of the big with stain he saw in his drug delirium. The guy turned around and walked ahead. Dudley followed him. What else should he do? If he tried to resist against the guy reinforcement would come and force him to follow. Also he didn´t know where he was what made an escape almost impossible. And as he accessed the corridor he saw that his decision was right. A long white hallway without any doors or windows lay ahead of him. He and the guy walked awhile. Dudley tried in this time to tease out some information of the guy. But the guy didn´t even answered him the simplest question like "Where are we?" or "Who are you?" So he finally gave in. Dudley was led in an interrogation room that was similar to that he sat several hours ago. "Sit down, Mr. Puppy, someone will soon take care of you." He did as he was told and began to wave his hand to the mirror in front of him because he knew exactly that someone is watching him form the other side of it. The chief stood on the other side and watched Dudley sad. "Poor Dudley" he thought. The phone on the table on which the chief stood rang. He answered it "Chief here. Commander?! … Yes. He´s here… Yes Sir, he worked with Snaptrap but I don´t think … Yes he beat up one of our agents but … No he´s not a sleeper or double agent he just… But Sir! … Understood." The chief hung up the phone. He touched his temples with his fingers and began to knead them. "What´s wrong chief?" Asked an old grey squirrel that appeared behind him. It wore a shabby coat and a hat that to suited this coat. Except for his old well-worn clothes he had something that could even send a chill down the spine of the hardest guy. Even I have to admit that this guy has a really special aura. "I´m just sick of taking orders Mel. That´s all." The squirrel grinned. "Well you are an agent, that´s your job. Anyway, what does the commander want me to do to this guy?"  
"His name is Dudley Puppy" replied the chief angry. "And the commander said that we should use the 'standard sleeper procedure'"  
"It´s been awhile since our last sleeper, isn´t it? But it´ll be a pleasure for me to press all information out of Mr. Puppy" It was really disgusting for the chief to see how glad Mel was about the imminence inquisition. The squirrel walked out of room and headed for the interrogation room. "Forgive us, agent Puppy. Forgive us…" On the other side of the window Mel just entered the room. He carried an old toolbox with him. He walked wordless over to Dudley and tied him to his chair with a chain. Dudley was a bit worried about this but he didn´t struggle against chaining. "So Mr. Puppy." began Mel. "You and Snaptrap. Tell me!"  
"I´ve already told the chief about that." Mel smiled wide as he heard that because that were the words he wanted to hear. He walked to the toolbox and picked a pipe wrench out of it. "And you won´t change your mind?"  
"Uhm… No."  
"Wonderful." Mel lunged out and hit the pipe wrench on Dudley´s right hand. Dudley howled in pain. "What about now?"  
"I already told everything. Leave me alone!"  
"No" said Mel bald and beat on the same spot on Dudley´s hand again. "What´s wrong with you?!" cried Dudley. "Nothing, I´m just doing my job!" Laughed Mel and went back to his toolbox. This time he came back with a Taser in his hand. "Well Mr. Puppy, usually you would get an injection from me and I would say that it is a dangerous poison and that I´m the only one with the antidote and that you would just get it from me if you talk but this time I skip this part. Even if it is the funniest part of the inquiry because I´m not giving inject them poison. No just saline solution. But they believe it´s poison and then you mention some symptoms and they begin to imagine these symptoms. You wouldn't believe how often this works." He laughed like he heard a good joke. "Ahhh… Anyway here I have a Taser and I ask you the same question again."  
"But I…" Mel pressed the Taser on Dudley´s throat before he could finish. Current pulse passed through Dudley´s body. He screamed with pain. "Please…" But Mel showed no mercy. "WRONG!" He pulled the trigger of the Taser again and held it until Dudley passed out. "Pathetic." Mel took his communicator out his pocket. "Randy. Bring Mr. Puppy back to his cell. You can bring him back if he wakes up again." The chief had averted his eyes from the window. But Dudley´s screams were like a stab in his heart. Dudley was for the chief the childish, crazy and adorable son he never had. "I´m so sick of taking orders from these uninvolved bastards! They don´t even know what he is through. Dudley is no sleeper or double agent. I need to get him out of here before this psychopathic squirrel kills him." Thought the chief "But I´ll need some help. And a plan…"


	12. Chapter 12

Swollen with pride stood Dudley in front of the chief. It was a great day for him. After a year of drill he finally made it. He was full T.U.F.F. agent. He looked around from the stage he stood on. The hall was full of people. And in the first row he saw his mother with tears in her eyes. He saw Kitty who seemed as proud as he because she trained him. She smiled at him. Beside her sat Keswick who was also smiling. He looked back to the chief who began with his speech. "Agents, friends, family members. I want to greet you here in the T.U.F.F. HQ. Today we gathered here to welcome our newest agent to the T.U.F.F. family. Mr. Dudley Puppy." The audience applauded and Dudley felt a bit awkward because of so much attention. "Agent Puppy. This is the last step. You have to swear the T.U.F.F. oath." The chief laid one of his hands on his chest and raised the other solemnly in the air. "Repeat My words. I swear that I will protect the helpless because that is what gave us sense. I swear that I will never raise my gun never against the defenseless because that would make us to the thing we fight. And I swear that I respect co-agents because together we fight and together we fall." As Dudley tried to repeat the chief´s words the whole scene suddenly began to stop like the time was frozen. Dudley looked confused around. "What´s going on?" The room suddenly disappeared and he found himself in a storage hall which was very familiar to him. "Oh come on, not this dream again. Okay where is that tall Jeffrey thing?"  
"I´m right behind you." Dudley turned around and the tall creature with its sharp claws and teeth stood in front of him. "Finally we can talk." But Dudley wasn´t in a mood to talk. He wanted to beat his fist into Jeffrey´s throat but something stopped him. It was like between him and Jeffrey was an invisible wall. "Settle down boy. This is a dream. Or how you would call it a vision" Jeffrey laughed. "Oh, boy you´re so funny. I have a suspicion. Jeffrey killed my Mom…"  
"SHUT UP OR..."  
"Or what? You want to try to kill me? Good luck. Do you need my address? No I think Snaptrap has already told you."  
"From where do you know …"  
"I CAN SEE ANYTHING AND HEAR ANYTHING WHAT EVERY CREATURE SEES AND THINKS" exclaimed Jeffrey with manic voice. "I AM A GOD! HOW DO YOU WANT TO KILL A GOD!" Dudley would be scared by this under normal conditions but his rage against all what Jeffrey did made the situation different. "No you are no god. I will prove it to you. I will come to you and kick your ass. " Jeffrey began to laugh crazy. "HAHA. Fool. I can see what everyone around you does. I can see through their eyes I can hear what they think. And I can even control their minds! How do you want to stop me?" "You can control their minds? What´s with my mind? Why don´t you just control me and stop pissing me off?! " Jeffrey skipped his question "You should get your chance to die. EVERYONE WILL GET IT. " "ANSWER MY QUESTION!"  
"Sorry that I have to end this conversation but I have to go. Be afraid because we´ll meet again. You know where I am. So if you got the guts to fight a GOD come. Or … I come to get you" And then Jeffrey faded away. "I will… You will see." Dudley woke up. He was still in this cell. "Okay I have to get out of here. Maybe I have a chance to escape before the next interrogation. If not I have to wait for a savior down here." What Dudley didn´t know that his help was already in the works.  
Kitty held in this moment Snaptrap by the collar. "He´s there because he wanted to help you! Now he needs your help."  
"But agents Katswell your plan is sheer suicide! How we should infiltrate this kappa-wing nobody knows and find his cell from which we don´t even know where it is?!" Kitty held one of her claws under Snaptraps nose. "I make it easier for you. If you don´t help me to free Dudley you won´t have to worry about this Jeffrey thing anymore, understood?"  
"Yes, Ma´am!" Snaptraps voice trembled. He never saw agent Katswell so aggressive. It seemed that she was really keen on getting Dudley out of there. "Okay Katswell. I join your suicide commando. Now get your hands of me" Kitty pushed him away. She walked out of Snaptrap´s house and sat into the T.U.F.F. mobile. He walked behind her and as he sat beside her she accelerated the car. After half an hour they arrived at the T.U.F.F. HQ. It was already night and the whole building was dark. Kitty got out of the car and walked through the lobby to the stairs of the building always followed by Snaptrap. "Okay where we go next?"  
"Dudley was dragged downstairs." She walked down the stairs until they arrived at the bottom of the staircase. "Here is nothing!" Kitty looked around. "No that can´t be. Somewhere here must be a door or something." She began to scan the wall for some kind of door. Snaptrap eyed her mockingly. "Of course. It´s a hidden door like in these old castles. You better search for a candlestick on which you can pull." Snaptrap leaned back against the wall. But he had no chance to relax because the wall behind him gave way. "Good work Snaptrap." Kitty stepped over him and entered the long white floor. "Okay stay behind me Snaptrap." Kitty ran ducked along the way. She was about to turn left as she told Snaptrap "Be careful. I don´t want you to run into … Whoa" Kitty get shocked as she turned around and saw a small guy with a smaller guy on his head besides her. "Agent Katswell?! Snaptrap?!"  
"Keswick?! Chief?!" Both groups stared surprised at each other. "What are you two doing here?"  
"I could ask you the same agent Katswell! You´re not allowed to be in the kappa-wing." "I´m here to rescue Dudley. But I suppose that you also should not be here." She looked at Keswick and the chief. Both wore black ninja suits and stood there in a crouched position. "We´re j..j..just doing a standard inspection of the…"  
"Keswick it´s time to change the tactic." Interrupted the chief. "We´re also here to save agent Puppy. And I think it´s the best if we help each other. I think we all want to see Dudley free again. Right?" All of them, also Snaptrap, nodded in unison. "Okay then follow me. I know where his cell is." The chief jumped of Keswicks head and guided the group through the corridors. After a minute or two they finally arrived at his door. "Why is it open?" asked Kitty after she rattled at the door. "That´s one of Mel´s prevent tricks. He knows that nobody can get out of the kappa-wing if he don´t know the exact way. So he leaves the door open, the prisoner will wander around the building and sees all this absolute similar looking corridors. The prisoner can´t find the way out and slowly become desperate. An effective method to break the mind of somebody." "Who´s Mel" called Snaptrap from behind. "The torturer" meant the chief and pushed the door open. Dudley lay on his bed. But he was not a pretty sight. He was cluttered with cuts and bruises and his fur was red of his own blood. It brought tears to Kitty´s eyes seeing him like this. She rushed to his bed. "Dudley wake up. Please wake up!" "K-Kitty?"  
"Dudley!" she was happy to see that he was responding. "Don´t move Dudley, we bring you out of here." She tried to lift Dudley up but he was a heavy dog. "Snaptrap, help me with him." Snaptrap ran to her and helped her lifting Dudley up. "Boy, Dudley did you gain weight?" They we´re about to carry him out of the cell door but somebody on the hallway already waited for them. "I knew it!" said the grey squirrel. "I knew that you would try this. But I prepared something." Mel pulled a shotgun from his bag. "On shot and all of you are down!"  
"Mel settle down." The chief said. "Why should I? Four traitors and an enemy are in front of me. That´s what we do with them." Kitty analyzed the situation. Running past Mel was no option. He would pull the trigger and all of them would be dead. Shooting on him was also impossible. It takes some time to pull out a gun and this would be enough time for Mel to kill them. Then she had an idea. It was risky, especially for Dudley, but they had no other choice. "Hey Snaptrap?" she whispered "What?"  
"How far do you think we can throw Dudley?"  
"Do you really…"  
"Do you think this would work?"  
"Katswell you´re crazy!" hissed Snaptrap  
"We have no other choice. You ready?"  
"Okay count to three." Mel pointed his gun on the group. "Any last words?"  
"Three!" "Wha …" Mel was really amazed as the unconscious Dudley was flying in his direction. Kitty took her chance while Mel was distracted and rammed her fist under his chin. He fell to the ground and was unconscious like Dudley. "Whoa agent Katswell. Now I kn..kn..know why you were the best agent of the year four times in a row." Admitted Keswick impressed. "That was a lucky punch!" meant Snaptap. Kitty turned to him with a smile on her lips and said "That´s no luck, it´s skill."  
Kitty and Snaptrap lifted Dudley up again and carried him out of the kappa-wing over the staircase to the T.U.F.F. mobile. They loaded Dudley on the backbench of the vehicle. "Okay. We need to bring Dudley somewhere safe."  
"We c..c..could bring him to the old D.O.O.M. HQ." suggested Keswick. "That could work. Since Jeffrey took or killed all my subordinates he moved to his Storage hall." Everyone looked confused at Snaptrap. "Oh yeah, you don´t know this… I´ll tell you when we´re at D.O.O.M."  
"He´s right." The agreed the chief. "I don´t think that we have much time till somebody realizes that we freed Dudley. Let´s go. "


	13. Chapter 13

"Agent Puppy, wake up! You slept enough!" Dudley was waken 'gently' by the chief with a slap in his face. Dudley sat up on the bed and stammered some indistinct words. He was surprised to be woke so abruptly. "Where, what, why?"  
"16 hours of sleep are enough. Get dressed and come to the assembly hall." The chief spun on his heels and walked out if the small chamber. Dudley looked down at himself. His fur was clean. All the dried blood on him was washed away and also his wounds were tended. Dudley got up and put on his clothes which lay tidily folded on a chair nearby. He put them on and walked out of the chamber. First he asked himself where he was but after a while he recognized the building. He was often enough at D.O.O.M. to know almost every hallway. He stepped into hall and saw Kitty, Keswick, the chief and Snaptrap sat on the big D.O.O.M. conference table. All of them looked at him. "I have a question. Who washed me?" Kitty raised her hand and smiled a little embarrassed at Dudley. "Oh good, I first thought that it was Snaptrap"  
"Is that what you fear or what you secretly wish?" They all laughed. "Well everybody" the chief announced. "Snaptrap told us everything about this Jeffrey."  
"I showed them the video"  
"Yes he showed us the video and Keswick found out some alarming things."  
"Well, I still have a..a..access to the T.U.F.F. server so I have chased his biometric pattern through the search software. Wonderful software, it compares the p..p..pattern with all patterns he found on for example c..c..cameras of cash dispenser. So if J..J..Jeffrey is seen by one of this cameras the s..s..software can recognize him and give us his p..p..position…"  
"Okay but what about this news?" interrupted Dudley Keswicks monolog "I was a..a..about to say that. Jeffrey was s..s..seen near every murder that was done since the last two weeks. What do you think agent Puppy?"  
"Oh, now does my opinion count? The last two weeks I always heard. 'There is no connection' or 'It´s just your imagination' and the classic 'It was just a dream'. And now you ask me, the crazy guy, what to do?" Even if Dudley was angry he also was a bit glad that they finally believe him. "Dudley we´re sorry for that" interjected Kitty. "But since Snaptrap showed us the video yesterday night I began to realize that this Jeffrey was the thing from my nightmares. The others had the same nightmares and their creature in it also looked like Jeffrey!"  
"We suppose that you have the biggest experience with Jeffrey." The chief explained. "So we want you to lead our team."  
"Which team?" "We all. Even if we´re now definitely expelled from T.U.F.F. we are in our hearts still agents, except Snaptrap, and it´s still our duty to protect the city. So what are our first steps, Sir? Dudley was very touched by this. Finally they believed him, finally they helped him. He almost began to cry. It felt releasing for him to be surrounded by people who would care for him like in a family. "Our first step is to find out who he is." Ordered Dudley "I don´t believe that he´s some kind of god that came down on earth to punish us. So any ideas?" Keswick raised his hand. "Do we have a DNA sample of this g..g..guy? In this case the T.U.F.F. d..d..database which I also still have access to could maybe tell us who he is…"  
"I think I can help you with that. Wait here." Meant Snaptrap and stood up from his chair. After a few minutes he came back and held a little cone-shaped object between his fingers. "As I buried Larry" he shortly stopped and composed himself before he continued. "I found this on his corpse. I think that some kind of fingernail or claw." Keswick stepped up to him and took the object out of his hand. He adjusted his glasses and held the claw against the light. "That could w..w..work. I´ll need some time for this."  
"Okay then begin." Dudley said. Keswick nodded and ran to the D.O.O.M. lab. "So, Snaptrap, you gather more information about Jeffrey. And you, chief, you will help him." The chief saluted and walked out of the building followed by Snaptrap. "And what is my task?" asked Kitty eagerly. "We have to talk."  
"Dudley I thought we would just…"  
"… pretend that this night never happened?" completed Dudley. "I don´t think any longer that it´s a good idea."  
"But Dudley, I don´t think it´s the time right now. We have to fight Jeffrey first then we can talk…" "That´s the thing Kitty. I don´t know if there will be a then. As you got me out of the T.U.F.F. torture chamber I had a dream in which I talked to this bastard. He challenged me to come and fight him. And that´s what I´ll do." He turned around walked to a window and stared out of it "And I´m going to fight him. No matter what it cost…" Kitty walked beside him. "So you are afraid?"  
"Ha, afraid? No… I´m in panic! And I think that Jeffrey maybe kill me. That´s the reason I want to clear up all my issues. "  
"Dudley, come on, you won´t die. We going to work out a plan and we going to defeat him. Cheer up!"  
"Kitty…" He turned to her and looked into her eyes. "I love you..."  
"Dudley… I… We… Damn, how should I say that to you? I…" Kitty paused. She was lost for words. "You just don´t feel the same. Well I wanted an answer." Dudley sounded sad. "And even if that´s not the one I wanted to hear. It´s better than this uncertainty." he lied "Dudley…"  
"No, it´s okay. I… go and look if Keswick found something out." Dudley walked in silence towards the lab. Kitty watched him sadly. She couldn´t tell him the truth. The truth, that she secretly felt the same. "That would just distract him." She thought "I will tell him afterwards. When this madness is over, we going to have enough time to be together. But we all have to stay focused now" She stayed in the hall for a while then she followed Dudley to the D.O.O.M. lab. There Keswick and Dudley standing near a monitor and stared at it. "How long will it take?" Dudley asked very impatient. "Well, it could t..t..take some minutes or some h..h..hours. That remains to be seen." Keswick took off his glasses and cleaned them on his grey dirty lab coat he is always wearing.  
"What are you two staring at?"  
"I just t..t..typed in the DNA-patterns and now we´re waiting that the search software returns something useful."  
"And you two think that staring at the monitor will…" Kitty was interrupted by the computer which was beeping madly. "Oh, think we have a r..r..result!"  
"See Kitty, staring at something can sometimes speed up things." Dudley laughed, even he wasn´t in a mood for that. He began to read the file that popped up on the screen.  
"Jeffrey Sullivan, T.U.F.F. scientist… T.U.F.F. scientist!? " He hesitated for a moment. In the document contained also a photo of Mr. Sullivan who looked absolutely different from the Jeffrey beast. He looked at Kitty but she just shrugged. He looked at Keswick and Keswick somehow looked like he knew Sullivan´s face. "You have seen him before, haven´t you?"  
"Yes! He was my greatest rival in the T.U.F.F. science department. I h..h..hate this guy. He always behaves like he´s the g..g..greatest and thinks he´s some kind of neglected genius. Summarized, an a..a..asshole. Anyway we always competed about who will be the first one that will get the noble prize. My nomination last month really got him down."  
"Your nominated?! Congratulations!" Kitty smiled at Keswick but focused back to the screen. "Where is the connection between this Jeffery and Jeffrey Sullivan?" Dudley stared at Sullivan´s photo. "In which category are you nominated?"  
"Medicine. I crated a formula to i..i..integrate a gen in the DNA of complex organisms like plants. Can you imagine plants that are resistant against any negative environmental factors? We could seed plants in dry areas we could fight the world hunger with that…"  
"So that was the test tube you lost?" Dudley had to interrupt Keswick´s enthusiastic speech before it would become one of his 8 hours long speeches. "Yes, but I couldn´t f..f..find it. Luckily I have enough i..i..ingredients to mix another one and send it to the jury."  
"So you say you can add genes to complex species. What about normal people?"  
"I d..d..didn´t even thought about that. Testing it on someone would have unpredictable results! " Dudley tugged at the hair on his chin what meant that he was thinking really hard. An idea stirred in him. "Keswick, use the software to search for face on all cameras T.U.F.F. has access on."  
"I d..d..didn´t see the reason…"  
"Just do it!"  
"Okay, okay. Sir!" Keswick began to hack on the keyboard. On the screen appeared a black window with green letters in it then the window disappeared and a progress bar popped up. Above it in fancy letters the words 'Please wait' were written. Spellbound watched all three the computer working. The minutes passed slowly by until finally a result was shown on the screen. They saw a picture from a camera which was across the street of the T.U.F.F. main entrance. It showed Jeffrey Sullivan coming out of the building holding a small object in his left hand. "Zoom on his hand!" Keswick rolled the mouse wheel and was able to get the hand on full screen. "Is that a test tube?" asked Kitty. "Well, I think I k..k..know where my prototype is gone!"  
"Keswick… What kind of gen does it add…" Dudley already felt that he wouldn´t like Keswick´s answer. "Just an all-round resistance for plants."  
"And what effect would it have if someone would test it on himself?"  
"No, agent Puppy, Sullivan is maybe an asshole but he isn´t stupid. He would never test it on himself." Dudley turned around and began to walk in circles. "Yeah but maybe… Uhm…"  
"I have an idea." Exclaimed Kitty and sat down on a chair. "Imagine, you are devastated because your greatest rival achieved the thing you always dreamt of. You always feel like a neglected genius who doesn´t get treated like he should. But how could you be the greatest genius if you can´t even get the greatest prize for science? What would you do?"  
"Maybe steal the invention and pretend that it´s mine?"  
"Exactly."  
"Well, okay. But that didn´t explain why he'd d..d..drink it?" remarked Keswick skeptically.  
"Uhm…" Kitty now also didn´t know why. Both looked at Dudley and expected him to solve the problem. "Don´t look at me like this. I´m not a genius who comes with a solution for a problem out of nowhere. Man, that feels like I´m writing a test when you two do that."  
"Dudley you´re a genius! Of course he had to test it!"  
"And why on himself?" "Because he´s a egoist and thought he would be the only one who is suitable to test it... or maybe he had nothing left to lose. Furthermore he wouldn´t have to let anybody know that he steal it." Dudley stopped walking around. "I think we cracked this case… Now we just have to stop Sullivan. By the way let´s call him Sullivan. It´s just too hard to call this freak Jeffrey."  
"Alright, what´s next? Find him and fight him."  
"And k..k..kill him." Keswick added. Kitty and Dudley stared at him unbelieving. "Hey he s..s..stole my prototype. I want revenge."  
"Okaaaaaay… Anyway… I go back to my bed and try to find out something more" said Dudley and went to his bed chamber. Keswick looked confused at Kitty "What did he mean by that?"


	14. Chapter 14

"Where´s Agent Puppy?! " The chief rushed through the D.O.O.M. entrance all out of breath.  
"Chief what´s going on?"  
"Kitty, Jeffrey got Snaptrap."  
"Well we n..n..now calling it Sullivan." Remarked Keswick who just came out of the lab.  
"Sullivan? What?"  
"Chief, steady. What happened?" Kitty had to reassure the chief. She never saw him so nervous like that. The chief was usually due to his long time as an active field agent and the experience he gained out of this in the most dangerous and hectic situations totally concentrated and calm. "Sit down." She pointed with her finger on a little chair which was standing on the big table. "Now, tell me the whole story while you, Keswick, go and wake up Dudley." Keswick nodded and sprinted to Dudley´s room. "The, whatever you call it now, got Snaptrap!" The chief wanted to continue with his story but Keswick came followed by Dudley into the hall. "What´s going on? What´s with Snaptrap?" Dudley was just woken up so he seemed still in a half delirium status. "Snaptrap got Snapnapped by Sullivan! He was in the hall and I stayed outside as backup. He was bugged so we could spy Sullivan out. And then I heard screams and fighting sounds then the radio contact was lost." The chief began to shiver. "I won´t imagine what he do to him." Dudley looked very serious at the chief he was now totally awakened. "Okay chief, take a deep breath, it´s important that you tell me what was the last thing that you heard through the radio?" The chief obeyed Dudley´s advice and closed his eyes and took deep breath. He opened his eyes again and spoke slowly and calmly. "The last words were: 'Get the camera ready for the transmittance!' " Dudley, Kitty and Keswick looked at each other confused. "Camera, transmittance? Is he trying to make a TV-show?" asked Kitty. "Let´s turn on the TV and see." Dudley grabbed the remote and switched on the great D.O.O.M. screen which was hanging on the wall in front of the big table. He began to zap through the cannels. "Commercial, commercial…"He stopped zapping and watched the screen. An erotic movie was shown on the channel. He, the chief and Keswick began to watch it more precisely. "Did you know that D.O.O.M. has pay-TV?"  
"Boys…" Kitty called them to order a bit annoyed. "Okay, okay" he continued zapping "Commercial, porn, porn, porn-commercial…" Dudley was about to change the channel once again as suddenly the screen began to flicker. "What´s wrong now?" Then with a 'blop' sound was hearable and Sullivan´s face appeared on the screen. "Citizens of Petropolis!" he began with his dark creepy voice. "This is an announcement of your new king, me!" Jeffrey grinned into the camera. "And as my first official act as your new king I order an execution. I want you, my deer slaves, to bring Dudley Puppy to me."  
"You don´t let any time waste, aren´t you?" thought Dudley "Straight to the point."  
"You have exactly 24 hours to bring him to the storage hall 42 in the harbor district." Jeffrey paused shortly. He turned around and pretended that he walk away but then stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "Oh, one thing…" Jeffrey closed his eyes. "Okay, what is he doing…" Dudley looked at Kitty but she didn´t answer. With empty eyes she stared onto the screen. "Kitty?" Kitty began to fall to the ground but luckily Dudley was fast enough to catch her. He held her in his arms and tried to wake her up. "Are you okay? Kitty?!" Kitty opened her eyes and stared at him with the same look that she looked at the screen. Then she began to shout out an ear-splitting scream. Dudley wasn´t able to hold her anymore she screamed so loud that he had to plug his ears with his fingers. "DAMN, WHAT`S GOING ON?!" Dudley looked around. The chief and Keswick lay in similar position and also screamed. "WOULD EVERYBODY PLEASE SHUT UP!" shouted Dudley and somehow they did what he said. He kneed down to Kitty and tried again to wake her up. "Dudley…?" she sounded weak. Dudley helped her to get back on her feet. The chief and Keswick meanwhile also woke up and stood weak-knead next to them. "What just happened?"  
"I don´t know" admitted Kitty. "I became unable to move and then there were these visions of terrible things. And I felt… horrible pains."  
"Well" Jeffrey continued his speech. But he seemed a little tired like a student that listened to a really boring lecture. "You see what will happen. 24 hours. He´s at the D.O.O.M. HQ. Bring him to me. Or I will let the hell loose above you!" the screen turned black. "Geez, agent Puppy, your kind of… f..f..f*cked." Keswick seemed worried despite his gallows humor. "We need to move! To the T.U.F.F. mobile." The group ran out of the building. On the street walked just a few people. But they were armed. They seemed to be these gun fanatics who always armed and waited for a chance to hunt something or better someone! Luckily the guys haven´t seen them yet. "We have to be careful right now." The group walked as inconspicuously as possible to the T.U.F.F. car. "There he is! Get him!" someone behind them screamed. The chief, Keswick, Kitty and Dudley began to run. They reached the car and got in fast. Dudley stepped on the gas as hard as he could. Bullets begin to hit the car. However, nobody was worried about this because T.U.F.F. mobile was bullet proofed. "From where did Sullivan know our location?" Dudley was pretty stressed out by the whole execution thing. "He has Snaptrap. I bet he tortured it out of him" suggested the chief. "And we know that you are the expert when it comes to torture."  
"Agent Puppy I just following my orders!"  
"You always have a choice!" shouted Dudley angry at him. "Everybody, settle down!" calmed Kitty the two. "We need to know what the major is doing about Sullivan." Kitty turned on the radio. Out of the speaker the voice of the major was audible. "Citizens of Petropolis! This is an emergency broadcast! This massage will be repeated." It seemed that the voice of the major was recorded and they played it again and again. "I resign as major and transfer all privileges to our new King. Follow his orders and hunt for Dudley Puppy if you have hunting experience if not don´t hinder them! I´m afraid but we have no other choice. The King has taken down the army, the police and all other defensive work. If you don´t want to be destroyed find Puppy. You know what the King is able to… Citizens of Pe…" Kitty turned the radio back off. "Okay how did he take down army and police?" That all made no sense for Dudley "Maybe he holds these visions on them. Dudley you seen this too! It we´ve seen terrible pictures and had awful pains."  
"Well actually I had no 'vision'. I saw all of you break down." He didn´t see it but the others except Kitty who already knew it stared at him. "Yeah I think I´m immune against his mind intruding stuff. He can just infiltrate my dreams."  
"And what g..g..gives you that idea?" Keswick asked him. "Well as I said. I can see him in my dreams and so I talk to him. He mentioned it somehow. By the way what have you seen in this vision?"  
"I saw how everybody who I know and love got killed by S..S..Sullivan. Then he killed me."  
"Same here! I saw this bastard killing you all." The chief added. "And you Kitty?"  
"I… I saw my family die. Terrible." Dudley could feel how uncomfortable she felt by answering the question and he also felt that she was concealing something. "But that isn´t important! We need to get you out of the city. Maybe Petsburg…"  
"Or Hawaii. I mean when we e..e..escape we could at least go to a nice place." Keswick interjected. "No I have a better idea than giving up hope!" Dudley stopped the car and got out of it. The others followed him. The group stood in front of the KPET building. "The local broadcasting channel? Why?"  
"Because we´re going to do our own little emergency broadcast." Said Dudley very serious. They walked into the building and looked around. It was empty and it seems like the place was left very abruptly. The computer monitors and the light were still on, cups full of steaming coffee stood on the counter of the entrance hall. Probably they were all on the hunt for Dudley or at home because they had no hunting experience. Dudley looked around and rubbed his hands like someone who has a lot of work to do. "Okay everyone. I need a camera and a microphone." Dudley pulled his cellphone out. "And while you search for this and get the broadcast ready. I have to make a call." He began to type some numbers in the phone and walked away. "Who is he calling?" asked Kitty.  
"That doesn´t matter. He would have told us if he wanted to. Let´s get the stuff he wants."  
Ten minutes passed by until Dudley returned. All devices for the transmission were ready and Dudley seemed contended. He walked to the microphone. "Are we ready?"  
"Yes but there is one thing we all want to know." The chief seemed curious as he began to ask. "What, agent Puppy, you want to say to the city?"  
"You´ll see." Dudley laughed. "Keswick. Give me a countdown."  
"Okay . Five four three two…" Keswick pointed with his finger on Dudley what was the sign for him to speak. "Hey, uhm, Hello? Yeah I´m Dudley and I think you´re searching for me. I just want to say that I… surrender." As Dudley said this, the jaws of Kitty, Keswick and the chief dropped down. "I´ll be at the harbor in two hours. That´s all. Thanks for watching and giving up hope." Keswick switched of the camera and joined in staring at Dudley. "What are you looking? We have two hours to collect as much weapons as we can carry." The others still looked at him but managed it to close their mouths. "So you don´t surrender?"  
"No. I die maybe… But not without kicking Sullivan´s ass. So come on and help me to get a pair of big steel-toed boots!"


	15. Chapter 15

Dudley checked his gun. Loaded and ready. They couldn´t get much guns for their fight. That was not the only thing that made him nervous. He had a plan but it depended on just one thing. But also who wouldn´t be nervous in his situation? He didn´t know if he would see the next sunrise. And he suddenly realized one thing. He loved the sunrise. Dudley thought about doing what Kitty said. He could leave the city and begin somewhere a new life. Petsburg was actually not a bad idea at all. Maybe that was a hint from her? Maybe she wanted to begin a new life with him. "No" thought Dudley. "She already said that she don´t share my feelings." He looked at her. She drove the T.U.F.F. mobile and looked as beautiful as always. Dudley began to smile. Kitty turned to him and saw this smile. "Everything okay?"  
"Yeah, I... I just remembered our first mission. Do you remember?"  
"The thing with the Kruger rat? Yeah. It was a disaster!" she laughed.  
"Except for the thing that you came to our agency."  
"Yeah it was a disaster. We first hated us. But then we became friends."  
"If we reminisce about the past we have to mention T.U.F.F.´s special training." Meant Dudley.  
"Yeah. 'Training' the weekend as the chief let us clear his messy house!"  
"It´s not messy! It´s just a bit untidy." The chief called from the backseat. "Untidy?! The god of chaos lives there! How could you live in there? I almost puked as I saw it the first time! And then you forced us to clean it up."  
"Exactly! And Dudley almost killed me with the gases he produced as he mixed all cleaning materials together"  
"Yeah about that…Sorry."  
"No problem Dudley!"  
"No! It´s not! Think I almost killed you ten times or more! But I´m not sure about that because I also breathed in some of these gases…"  
"I know you were also passed out for an hour." Confirmed Kitty.  
"Yeah and I have to apologize for all the times I hurt you physically and psychologically."  
"Not again! As I said you will not die! We went through worse things!"  
"And what?"  
"Uhm…Well…This one…uhm." Kitty knew absolutely no answer to this so she changed the subject. "The best countermeasure not to die is a good preparation. So let´s go through everything that we know about Sullivan."  
"Okay I b..b..begin. He´s a former T.U.F.F. scientist who stole my prototype and used it on himself." Keswick summarized. "Right. What do we know about his abilities?"  
"He has big claws and teeth so he´s very dangerous when it comes to a hand-to-hand fight. Furthermore he is able to send visions to everyone and he can also kill people somehow with these visions. The best example for that is Birdbrain." The chief added.  
"Yep… Does somebody know why he don´t take us down like the police or the military?" Nobody answered Kitty. "All we know that all is somehow is connected to you, Dudley."  
"So I´m the key?" asked Dudley "I´m the god damn key! But why?"  
"No idea…" Kitty drove with the car through the great harbor doors. From that point it was just a five minute drive to hall 42. The impulse in Dudley to run away became stronger. But he knew that there was no way back now. This is the choice he made. And now it´s time to face what comes. "Good that I made my own preparations." he thought. Kitty turned the car left into a small lane and the hall was visible. A crowd of people stood around the hall and stared in silent at the arriving car. The sight was eerie and would send everybody shivers down the spine. Kitty parked the car and the group got out of it. Dudley was the last of them. As the crowd saw him it became, even if this was almost impossible, more silent. Dudley came closer to him and they stepped back from him and formed a path. "Could you please stop staring at me?! And also stop being so quiet! That´s really scary! And that´s comes from a person who walks to his own execution!" The people looked away from him and whistled. "By the way… Does somebody want to help us with that?" The whistling got even louder. "Of course…" Dudley walked over to the hall doors and stopped in front of it. He took a deep breath and turned around one last time. "I have a one last wish before I sacrifice myself for all of you!" "Whatever you want!" somebody from the crowd yelled. "Get away from the hall and please stop my partners from entering the storage hall." Kitty, Keswick and the chief looked shocked at him as arms shot out of the crowd and grabbed them. "I´m sorry, but I couldn´t allow it that anyone of you get hurt. He just wants me."  
"But that isn´t brave it´s murderous!" screamed Kitty. "I know" said Dudley very calmly and turned back to the door. He pushed them open with all his strength and walked in. Hall 42 was a big storage hall with lines of high racks which formed big lanes through the whole hall. The light that came from the ceiling was almost not visible on the ground. Dudley pulled out his gun and held it ready to fire in front of him. He searched the corridor. He walked a few more steps forward as he suddenly heard a dull impact behind him. He turned around at almost lightning speed and saw a known figure lying on the ground. "Snaptrap!" Dudley shook him to test if he was alive and if he was alive to wake him up. "Puppy?" he coughed out blood. "Why are you here? Do you want to die?" he was weak and spoke slowly. "I´m here to kill that bastard." Snaptrap wanted to answer but there was just a gurgling noise. Dudley now took a close look at Snaptrap and saw the multiple wounds he had. "Snaptrap, you have to survive. I get you out of here!" Then he saw the wound by his throat. Much blood poured out of the deep cut. Dudley knew that even if a doctor took care of this wound right now he would have no chance. "Snaptrap you´ll die." Dudley said with a sad calm voice. Snaptrap just grinned and laid his hand on Dudley´s shoulder. "Give him hell…" he gurgled and smiled. Dudley smiled back and saw how the life faded away from Snaptrap. His hand slid down lifeless from Dudley´s shoulder. Snaptrap focused Dudley no more with his eyes he just stared into the nothingness. Dudley stroked over his eyes gently to close them. "Good bye. I wished I could have called you a friend!"  
"Ha … pathetic!" exclaimed a voice behind him. "Sullivan…" Dudley got up from his knee and turned around. "Ohh. Poor agent Puppy. You first lost your mother and now a friend." He laughed cruelly. "But I´m surprised. I had expected that you would flee from the city. To save your meaningless life. How about Petsburg or Hawaii. That would be wiser decisions then walking to his own execution."  
"I was sick of running away."  
"Well. Now you're here. Congratulations." Jeffrey circled around Dudley like a satellite. "I bet you want me to answer me some questions. So ask!"  
"I have just one. Why? Why this madness? Why are you killing people?"  
"Sometimes for fun. Sometimes because I was hungry… mmmm… but as I killed your mother I also satisfied some other needs" Jeffrey grinned at Dudley and showed his terrible long and sharp teeth. Dudley couldn´t control himself. He pointed his gun at Jeffrey and shot the whole magazine into Jeffrey´s body. Dudley stood there and looked at him. But Jeffrey stayed unscratched. He didn´t lie on the ground and bled, no he laughed at him. "I told you that I´m a god! You can´t kill me with this primitive weapons! What´s your next step? Or was that your whole plan?"  
"Well…" Dudley didn´t answered this question. He ran to Jeffrey and beat on his stomach. But for Dudley it felt like he punched a granite block. "Damn…"  
"Well if you want to begin" Jeffrey swung his paw and hit Dudley´s face. He was pushed back five meters and flew against a shelve. His sight blurred for a short moment. As it got clear again he saw Jeffrey running towards him. Dudley jumped on his feet and dodged Jeffrey´s punches. "Not bad. But also not good enough." Jeffrey now used his claws to attack Dudley who tried hard to avoid them. But he stumbled and Jeffrey sliced his chest. The blood poured out of the deep scratches. "Shit." Jeffrey grabbed him, lifted him and threw him. Dudley landed 20 meters further on the hard concrete ground. Dudley lay there and tried to get up. He wanted to get on his feet but he felt a heavy pain in his leg. He screamed in pains. He looked up from the ground and saw Jeffrey slowly coming closer. The panic rose in Dudley there was no chance for him to escape out of this… except one. "Well, it´s over Puppy. My little test subject. You were the only one with the mind I couldn´t got through! There is no more easy way out." He brought his claw above his head and get ready for his last strike against Dudley. "Close your eyes, except your fate!"  
"NO!"  
"No? Well it´s not that you have some kind of backup plan." Dudley just smiled with a mouth which was missing some teeth and pulled out a little device out of his pocket. Mocking looked Jeffrey down on the little box which was apparently a remote. "Do you want to change the channel?" Dudley pressed one of his fingers on a button. "No, I´m afraid that's impossible with a dead man's switch." The scorn disappeared from Jeffrey´s face. "What are you up to?" He stepped back from Dudley who got back on his feet in pain. "Well" Dudley stopped to spit out the blood that gathered in his mouth. "I had prepared something for you. A friend of mine helped me."  
"Which one?! I´ve seen everything what these maggots out there done! I heard what they thought. And some of them I even controlled. I miss nothing what happens."  
"My friend is no maggot … at least no made out of flesh and blood."  
"What?"  
"Come on! I thought you are a genius…" Jeffrey didn´t put up with Dudley´s arrogant tone. He tossed his claws through Dudley´s stomach. Dudley uttered just a short groan of pain. He fell over and clung with his one hand on Jeffrey´s body. With the other hand he still held the button on the remote pressed. Dudley turned his head away from the ground and looked in Jeffrey´s face. "KILL-R. You can´t read his thoughts. He´s a robot. And he placed enough explosives in this hall to blow you back to hell." Jeffrey´s eyes opened wide "No! That… you can´t kill… I´M A GOD!"  
"I learned something. If you want to fight an insane. You have to be more insane"  
"NO!" shouted Jeffrey but the last thing he heard before everything around him exploded was just Dudley saying "HI GEE GEE!"  
Outside of the building the explosion rushed everybody off their feet. Everybody lay on the ground and held their hands over their ears. They screamed and moaned because off the loud explosion. Kitty was the first who stood up. She tried to look through the dust that was stirred up. Her head felt so light in this moment and walked through the debris. The only thing that went through her head was Dudley. She knew at least now why he held her back from entering the hall. But she didn´t know how he managed it to blow the building up. "That´s secondary. Have to find him" she stammered. Kitty stumbled over some lumps and climbed a little hill of rubble. She looked around and search for some life signs. And there she saw somebody lying. She ran to the body and inspected it. It wasn´t Dudley, it was Snaptrap. Kitty had no doubt that he was dead. His body was just in a too bad condition. "Damn, poor Snaptrap." She thought and continued looking around. "Dudley!" she got no response. "He have to be somewhere!" Kitty searched and searched but didn´t find him. Slowly, like the night which began to rise, an ugly truth came to her mind. "No he´s alive. He must be!" she tried to persuade herself. She spun around and looked again. And there she saw it. A small white object jutted out of the waste. It was a hand! Kitty ran to it and began immediately to dig around it. With all her strength she was able to lay open his upper body. Tears came to her eyes. "Dudley!" she tried to wake him up "Wake up, please!" The tears became to roll down her cheek. "Kitty…" Dudley coughed. "Dudley. You have to stay awake! The rescue comes…"  
"Kitty, you know it. My time…" It was very hard for him to talk. "No! I won´t allow this. You…" the tears fell on Dudley´s chest. "That´s beyond your powers I think." He breathed in with a loud unhealthy noise. "Dudley. I want you to know that I do love you. In the vision I where the people we love get killed I saw just you." Dudley smiled as he heard that. "That was maybe the strangest declaration of love I´ve ever heard." he gasped "But you made me to the happiest dog in this debris with that." Kitty moved closer to his head and kissed him. For the first time and for the last time, at least what she remembered. As she moved away from him she saw that already all life vanished from his body.

** - This isn´t over yet... believe me ;) -**


	16. Chapter 16

Dudley looked confused around. He sat on the couch in the living room in the house of his mother. How did he come her? He examined the room closer now. It was definitely his mother's living room. Everything was similar, except of some photos that hung on the wall. They showed Dudley in situations in which he never saw somebody photographing him. There was one where he lay on the ground besides Kitty in the chief's house as they cleaned it up. There was another one in which he was beaten up by some bullies in the seventh grade. And one where he was dead beneath Kitty as she was dragged away from him by the chief and Keswick.  
"Nice, aren´t they?" Dudley turned around abruptly. On the couch where he sat before I sat. Dudley looked now completely perplex at me. No wonder, I looked so different from all he saw. And to make things weirder I held a tacky teacup in my right hand the saucer that belonged to it in my left hand. "Uhhhh… that tea is just awful… do you not have a better one here?" Dudley didn´t answered me he just kept on staring. I put the cup on the saucer and the saucer on the little table in front of me. I stood up walked around the table to him and offered him my hand to shake it. "Well finally we meet. It is a pleasure for me to meet you, Dudley Puppy." He grabbed my hand hesitating and shook it. "Who… no. What are you?"  
"I am your new friend. Just call me… uhm… how about the adviser?"  
"Okaaaaay… and where am I? And how did I come here? And what happened? And…"  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down." I interrupted him in his oral fluency. "I will answer you every question you have. Let us begin with the last one. Try to remember." Dudley closed his eyes and recapitulated the events of the last weeks. I was able to tell from his face how the fragments of his memory were put back together in his mind. "My last memory is that I lay in the waste of hall 42 kissing Kitty. And then… Shit, why is that so hard?"  
"Well it is hard for the deceased…"  
"What?! I´m dead?!" he looked shocked at me. "Of course you are dead! You were pierced by Sullivans claw and you blew yourself and hall 42 up! What are you expecting? It was a surprise that you were able to Kitty!"  
"Well I thought perhaps I´m lucky and survive." I just laughed about that, he was really as naive as I expected. I watched him for a while but even I can´t hear and see everything.  
"Well, Dudley. It seems you ran out of luck."  
"And what happens now? Do you guide me to the dog´s heaven?"  
"No. We will talk a bit… first. I waited a long time since our last talk for a chance to talk to you again." "Last talk? "  
"When you walked from the hospital to the T.U.F.F. HQ. I was the voice."  
"Ah! So you told me not to believe Sullivan´s lies?"  
"It was a helpful piece of information, wasn´t it?"  
"Yeah. It was."  
"To your other question. You are in a kind of boarder world. It connects different dimensions. Uhm… well it´s a bit complicated. I made it look like your mothers living room because that would be less confusing for you."  
"Yeah! It´s of course not confusing to wake up somewhere after you died." He said.  
"You see" I behaved fully sarcasm resistant. "Now I have to ask you something. Why have you blown up the storage hall, while you were in it?" He scratched embarrassed the back of his head "Well… as I saw that I couldn´t hurt him. I kind of panicked. I just didn´t think about destroying hall 42 from outside."  
"At least you made sure that you caught him. And you saved the whole city!"  
"Yeah…" Dudley turned to the pictures on the wall and studied them. "I have to say you handle this situation pretty good. You are not lying on the ground in fetus position and crying for your mom. Most other people do this." I remembered all the others I first watched and then guided on their last way. And every one of them freaked out as hell. Some of them tried to trade with me for a few more years and a not very small number even attack me but the most did what I said to Dudley. But nobody reacted like him. And that confirmed me in my future plans with him. "These photos… " "These are snapshots from your life."  
"Who took them?" asked Dudley interested.  
"Somehow you. They are parts of your memory. From your birth until… well … this moment. A selection of my favorite scenes hang on this wall." Dudley let his eye wander over the wall. "I still have two questions on my mind."  
"Just ask."  
"Sullivan had the power to kill people with his thoughts. Why didn´t he used it on me or Kitty or anybody else? I mean it worked perfectly on Birdbrain!"  
"And you think I know this?"  
"You have to! You are the death, right? I think you must have some superpowers!" I grinned because it was kind of cute what kind of idea he had what I am. "I am not the death. But otherwise you are right. I have certain powers like others of my species." I admitted.  
"There are more of you?"  
"Yes not many of us but we exist."  
"What kind of species is that?" I sighed because I told almost everyone who passed this boarder world and interacted with me this story. "We´re a species much older than yours. And except our appearance we have almost nothing in common with the species we were once. But that is not important even if your curiosity about us is flattering. Maybe I´ll tell you more someday. So back to the main subject. Jeffrey Sullivan could not kill Kitty and the other T.U.F.F. agents because they are trained against mental attacks. He could just infiltrate their minds but not kill or control them."  
"I´ve been never trained against this!"  
"You should ask the chief about that." I said with a broad grin on my face. "Also these attacks coasted him very much of his power so he decided to do this with his own hands."  
"And why he wasn´t able to kill me! And not even able to infiltrate my mind?" I looked into his eyes grabbed his shoulders and shook him to emphasize my words. "Because you are special! You have the potential that have just one in thousand years. You are different from all the others! You are the hero I the world waited for!" Dudley stepped back from me. "Whoa, wait. What are you talking about? I´m not a hero!"  
"Of course you are! You helped your enemies as they needed help and also protected them as they needed you! You faced your greatest fear and didn´t run away when you had the chance! And you sacrificed yourself for a bunch of people who would have sacrificed you without blinking an eye!" "Yeah but does this make me a hero" he asked me doubting.  
"Well… yes!"  
"Well but I never wanted to be a hero! The world should wait another thousand years."  
"Nobody who is a hero wanted to became a hero. The destiny never calls us in moments we like it." I calmed down. "Tell me Dudley. Do you know Simon van Anderson?"  
"Who? Uhm…No."  
"He saved the whole world over a hundred times almost thousand years ago. He saved millions of lifes. He also never wanted to be a hero. Like you."  
"And what happened then to him?" This question brought me in a stupid situation. "Well… He died in a gutter. Alone, poor and unloved. Left from a world that never rewarded him for all the things he done… well that´s also sometimes the destiny of a hero."  
"Your arguments don´t make it better."  
"Well that is right. But I don't think that this will happen to you." I changed the subject as I pointed with my finger at a group of empty frames on the wall. "Have already you seen them?"  
"Yeah, just some frames. Nothing special."  
"Oh come on Dudley." I exclaimed a bit disappointed "When everything here has a meaning and the framed photos show your memories of your life on earth. What will these empty frames be?" Dudley looked at the frames and thought really strenuous about their meaning. And then after five minutes he saw the forest for the trees. "Do you mean it´s not over?!"  
"Ding ding ding." I called. "You won the big prize! We have to work on your case cracking skills"  
"But how?"  
"Try playing chess or something. Use your brain more often."  
"No, not that!" he meant annoyed. "I mean that you told me I´m dead! How could my story go on!?" "Well" I smiled at him like a little mischievous boy who just played a prank on someone. "Maybe you are not dead."  
"What do you mean?"  
"Well let´s say you just 'dreamed a little dream'." I sang amused. "You just saw shadows of the things that will happen" Dudley looked at me like I told him… well I think you can´t tell someone anything more confusing. "You get your life back. You will wake up in the hospital after your breakdown at T.U.F.F. in the night before you were released. And you get another chance to fight Sullivan."  
"So that means… everything will stay the same? My Mom will be alive? And Birdbrain? And Snaptrap?"  
"Yes, yes and yes!" Dudley began to smile and did even a little dance in the room. But then he stopped because a thought came to her mind. "Then Kitty also don´t love me?" "Well… let´s say that you still have a chance on her. A good chance" I gave him an encouraging wink.  
"But wait… You let me walk through hell for nothing?"  
"As I said. These things will probably happen. I prepared you! And I gave you the chance to save a lot of lifes! But if you want to you can also come with me and I will show you the comforts of death." Dudley stepped afraid back and said "No, no, no. That´s not necessary."  
"Exactly. Totally unnecessary. So before you go let me tell you one thing. There is a little surprise for you lying under your hospital bed when you back. It is the original."  
"What?" he asked me with the eyes of a little child on Christmas morning.  
"You will see it when you are back."  
"And how do I come back?"  
"So many questions. You have to go to sleep to wake up, haven´t you?"  
"Oh, so easy? Well okay I´ll go to bed as a dead dog and wake up as a living dog. That´s cool. But I´m not tired…" I hit the palm of my hand on my face. I gave him his life back, what was hard enough, and now I had to deal with these trifles. "Oh boy… Good that I have a traditional remedy for that." I lay my hand on his forehead and shouted conjuring "Wake up, you got to stop dreaming. Wake up. It is time to face the demon." Dudley didn´t fall asleep, no he just looked at me like I was an idiot or something. "I don´t think that works!" he said prosaic. "Well luckily I got another traditional remedy." I took a swing and slap him unconsciousness. "Well… that was easy." I looked around. "Nothing left to do her. Should I go?" Then I looked towards the kitchen. "Nah… let´s see what is in the fridge."


	17. Chapter 17

Dudley opened his eyes and sat up on the hospital bed. His hat hurt. He looked on the clock on the bedside table. It was four o´clock. "He didn´t lie… But this bastard also hit me! Maybe I forgive him if I see my surprise." Dudley looked under his bed and saw a little brown box. He grabbed the box laid it on his laps and opened it. In the box lay a gun. But not any gun. It looked exactly like the old magnum of his father. He grabbed it and took a closer look at it. It was his dad´s old gun. "So that he meant with 'It´s the original'." Thought Dudley "I think I will forgive him the slap…" In the box was also a letter. "Dudley, you have not much time. The time until Sullivan gains enough power that he is bullet proof will be soon. Hurry up! And think about the thing with the chees playing. The adviser" Dudley folded the letter and put him on the bedside table. He stood up from the bed and checked if the gun was loaded. It was. He grabbed his clothes put them on and walked out of his hospital. "Okay. I hope that Sullivan is still in hall 42. I could need some help for that. I hope that Kitty won´t be too angry if I wake her." Dudley began to jog because Kitty´s apartment was almost ten blocks away and he had no car. While he was jogging he realized two things. First that he was afraid of facing Jeffrey again but this time he at least had hope to win this battle and second that he was in a pretty bad shape for a T.U.F.F. agent. After a few hundred meters he began to pant. "No… No. There have to be… another way…" He looked around and saw a bike which was chained on a lamp post. He got his gun out shot on the chain. Dudley mounted the bike to get away from here as fast as he could. The shot must have woken almost the whole neighborhood! Dudley pedaled as hard as he could and after seven blocks he realized that he should have stolen a car instead. Finally after fifteen minutes he arrived completely exhausted at Kitty´s apartment. There he managed it somehow to haul his body seven floors up and arrived crawling on the ground. He lay there first to catch some breath. Then he stood up and knocked on the door. Behind the door Dudley heard somebody swearing. "Seems like somebody not an early-morning person" he grinned stupidly. Then after two minutes that felt like half an hour Kitty opened scantily dressed the door with a half asleep half surprised look. "Dudley?! What are you doing here?" Usually Dudley would enjoy Kitty seeing dressed like this but Jeffrey this time had first priority. "No time to explain Kitty. I need you right now." Kitty seemed pretty confused about that and she also blushed a little. "What?"  
"Kitty, dress yourself and get your gun. We got work to do." Dudley pushed Kitty aside and walked into her apartment heading for the kitchen. In the little kitchen he searched for the knife block and drew out the biggest of them. "This will fulfill its purpose." He turned around and looked at Kitty who followed him and now just stared at him. "What are you waiting for?" asked Dudley like it was the most normal thing in the world that he came at night, want her to get dressed and take one of her knives. "Come on. Time flies!" Kitty first wanted to say that he should get out of her apartment but she was too tired for that. She thought that it´s maybe one of his silly ideas furthermore she was tolerant because he just came from the hospital. So she got dressed and followed him downstairs. "Kitty hand me the car keys!" Kitty fished out her keys but before she could hand them to Dudley he already snatched them. Both got into the car and Dudley hit the gas. After a 30 minutes long journey on which Kitty slept they arrived at storage hall 42 in the harbor district. The sun was already rising and bathed the hall in a sinister light. "Wake up Kitty, it´s time" Kitty wiped the slobber from her cheek. "Where are we?"  
"Just follow me!" ordered Dudley. "No. Dudley. It was a funny prank but it´s over now. I won´t follow you any further." Dudley turned around and came really close to her. "Kitty, it´s important that you listen now. In this hall lives a terrible, cruel and mad creature called Jeffrey Sullivan. In almost four hours he will kill Birdbrain right in front of our eyes just by the power of his mind. He will go on in his killing spree for two weeks. Among the death will be Larry, Snaptrap and my mother…" Dudley didn´t mentioned the rest of the possible future because that would scare her too much. "What are you talking about? I think we should bring you back to the hospital. You seem not…" Dudley fell on his knees in front of her and began to beg. "Please, Kitty. Please. Trust me! The fate of the whole city depends on us."  
"Okay…" sighed Kitty. "At least you prepared this prank pretty good." She followed Dudley in the hall and tried to remember if today was maybe her birthday which she had forgotten again. She hated it to celebrate her birthday but the parties Dudley organized for her the last years were pretty good. What was the only reason she followed him. No matter if it was her birthday or a prank or anything. With Dudley it´s getting never boring. They walked through the small lane between the shelves. In the middle of the hall in a ray of light that came through one of the windows on the ceiling sat Jeffrey. Dudley slowly lowered the distance between him and the creature. Kitty stayed behind and looked at the thing that sat there. "What is that?" thought Kitty. Dudley meanwhile stood in front of Jeffrey and pointed his gun at him. "Wake up Sullivan…" Suddenly Jeffrey opened his eyes and hit the gun out of Dudley´s hand. "Agent Puppy? You´re earlier as I expected you." He stood up and beat Dudley so hard that he flew five meters back. Dudley lay on the ground and realized that he was in a similar situation than before. He got back up to his feet and could dodge the attack of Jeffrey and made it behind him. Dudley took his advantage and rammed the knife he got from Kitty´s kitchen in Jeffrey´s back. The knife stood out of Jeffrey´s stomach. "That´s not so funny if you get pierced, isn´t it?" But Jeffrey spun around and kicked Dudley who flew against the wall. Jeffrey walked slowly to Dudley. "Oh damn, not again!"  
"Well, agent Puppy. It´s time. Now close your eyes and except your fate." Dudley closed his eyes this time. He just waited for Jeffrey´s final strike against him. But he forgot Kitty who still were there and now realized that it was no surprise party. She made it to shot Jeffrey several times! Dudley opened his eyes and saw how he tumbled. Dudley looked for his gun and ran to get it while Jeffrey lay on the ground. He picked it up and walked back to Jeffrey. Kitty stood beneath Jeffrey and pointed with her gun at him. "Dudley! Call T.U.F.F.! They should come and arrest him! And we need an ambulance!" Dudley didn´t answer her and saw Jeffrey into his eyes. "Well Jeffrey. Also gods have to die!" He pointed his gun against Jeffrey´s head and… pulled the trigger. The head of the monster exploded like a ripe watermelon which was thrown out of the fifth floor. It was a giant mess. An unbelievable releasing feeling came over Dudley. He was speechless and stood there with a wide smile froze on his face. Kitty stared at him stunned. "Oh my god. Dudley, what have you done?" Dudley put away his gun, walked to the legs of the corpse. "I did what I have to do. Now help me to get this piece of waste to T.U.F.F.. We will talk there."  
"But you just killed somebody!"  
"We will talk at T.U.F.F."  
As they drove to the agency with the corpse in their trunk Kitty kept staring at him. "Is she trying to make me feel guilty? Girl, that will not work!" Thought Dudley. He drove the car into the T.U.F.F. garage. In there a welcoming committee ofT.U.F.F. agents already waited for them. "So you warned them?" Dudley was surprised even though he knew that he was the only one who has seen the events that now will never happen. "Of course. You shot some..body who lay defenselessly on the ground!" Dudley couldn't say anything against this. The words 'It was necessary' would sound nothing but strange from him if you don´t have Dudley´s point of view. Both got out of the vehicle while Keswick walked up to them. "Agent P..P..Puppy, what is going on here? Agent K..K..Katswell sent us a worrying text massage about you killing somebody. We´re here to escort you to the chief. " Dudley just moved without saying a word to the trunk of the T.U.F.F. mobile and opened it.  
"Whoa. Agent P..P..Puppy. What is…"  
"This is Jeffrey Sullivan." Dudley said bald.  
"No, that is impossible. Sullivan is… Well… I haven´t seen him today."  
"Well, because he lies here! He has stolen and drank your gen integration prototype."  
"No that… Hey wait I never told you what is in my test…"  
"Keswick, take a tissue sample and you will see." Dudley turned away from Keswick, Kitty and the crowd of T.U.F.F. agents. He walked to the exit of the garage. "Dudley where are you going!? The chief wants to see you!" Kitty called behind him. "I´ll take a break. Just tell me which judgment from above I´m going to receive."

** -Okay, there is just one chapter to go. By the way thanks for the reviews. They really helped to stay awake whole nights to finish some of the chapters :D -**


	18. Chapter 18

"He did what!?" The chief was sitting in his armchair behind his desk and listened concentrated to Kitty who told him what had happened in hall 42. "Yes." Confirmed Kitty "In his face… and before that he said 'Also gods have to die'. I have no idea what he meant with that but this guy must have made him really angry."  
"Well, agent Katswell. That was your part of the story. Please send agent Puppy in when you leave. I want to hear his side of the story."  
"That´s a problem… He left the building to take a break."  
"WHAT?!" shouted the chief and jumped on his table "FIRST HE KILLS AN INNOCENT AND THEN HE HAS THE NERVE TO DISAPPEAR!"  
"Not so innocent as you might t..t..think chief." Keswick rushed in the chief´s office with a little projector under his arm. He put it on the chief´s desk. "I have done some research and took a tissue sample from the c..c..corpse." He pressed a button on the projector and it projected a picture of two DNA-helixes on the wall. "The left DNA-sample is one from an normal dog. The right one is from the c..c..corpse. And as you see the right is much m..m..more complex as the left. The reason are the…" "Keswick, come to a point" interrupted the chief.  
"It´s the DNA of an a..a..advanced superior species! Also with some powers we couldn´t even imagine! And another interesting thing is that agent P..P..Puppy was right. The greatest part of the Sullivan´s DNA and that of the corpse were i..i..identical. I also found out that Sullivan stole my new formula and used it on h..h..himself."  
"That´s okay but that´s not a reason to kill somebody."  
"I know but as I see that Sullivan´s powers would have grown over the t..t..time. I don´t know what he was supposed to do with this powers but if he would use them for the f..f..false side the impact would be unpredictable." Keswick turned off his projector and looked sternly at the chief and Kitty.  
"So you think we should, thank Dudley?" asked Kitty surprised. "We´ll should at least consider all these things b..b..before we punish agent Puppy." The chief now looked cogitating at the projection. On one hand Dudley killed somebody who was lying defenseless on the ground on the other hand he probably prevented a catastrophe. "I won´t fire him." Said the chief calmly. "But we can´t let him get away unpunished. The supreme command of T.U.F.F. would never allow this. So we have to give him a little slap on the wrist." The chief turned around. "He will be suspended for one month! And now you two better leave my office. I have to think." Kitty and Keswick did like they were ordered. "Whoa, that w..w..was close. The chief almost fired him. But w..w..where is he?" Keswick watched Kitty who looked like she had suddenly an idea. "Keswick. You stay here. I think I know where he is!"  
Meanwhile sat Dudley at a chair made from stone and stared at a chessboard in the middle of the Petropolis park. On the other side of the board an elder fox lady waited for his move. She had silver grey fur and wore a relatively modern outfit but with the obligatory granny half-moon glasses. It was first strange for her as a young dog walked up to her while she was playing chess against herself and asked her to teach him how to play. But it was a welcome change from the lonely game of chess. Although she had to teach the dog how the game works because he never played it before. "Oh, I think I haven´t introduced myself to you. My name is Dudley" The dog smiled for a short moment at her but then continued staring at the board. "Nice to meet you Dudley. My name is Roxanna."  
"So you play often chess?" asked Dudley without looking up. "Yes. I was a professional player but I retired."  
"And why are you still here and play alone?"  
"Well, I realized that I missed something. So I came here almost every day and try to play with somebody. But most people aren´t interested in playing chess with an old lady." Dudley finally made his move and now looked at her. "I want to play with you. But I don´t know, this game isn´t much fun."  
"Why are you playing it then?"  
"Somebody said to me I should use my head more. And to train this he advised me to play chess." Roxanna laughed about that. "That´s not a bad piece of advice. And don´t worry, it´s getting funnier the more often you play." Roxanna moved here queen. "By the way. Checkmate" Dudley looked surprise at the board. "Don´t be too disappointed, Dudley. At least you withstand eight moves." Roxanna grinned broadly and began to put the chessmen back to their start positions. "Do you want to play again?"  
"As you said it, the more often I play…"  
"Dudley!" a voice from behind screamed his name. He turned around and saw Kitty running towards him. "Dudley, I knew I would find you around here." Dudley turned to Roxanna. "Well, I think we´ll have to forget the next game. But maybe we could repeat this?"  
"Of course. Every day same time, same place" She gave Dudley a wink, stood up and walked away. Kitty sat down on the chair which was now free.  
"Oh, Kitty nice to see you. You want to play?" Dudley started to talk like nothing happened in the last hours. "Dudley! What was this?" He didn´t answered he just made the first move and looked expectantly at Kitty. She sighed and made her move. "Okay, again. What was this?"  
"Well, that´s a good question and I think you wouldn´t believe me if I tell you the story but let´s just say… I had my reasons." He moved his chess piece. "Well but Dudley. You can´t just shot people!" without looking at the board Kitty made her move. "As I said, I had a reason for that. It´s not that I´m shooting innocent people on patrol! Even if there´s probably no more patrol for me." In Dudley´s voice lay a trace of sadness.  
"Don´t be too sure about that." Dudley looked up from the board and began to smile happily.  
"Do you mean…"  
"Yes."  
"Awesome" shouted Dudley glad. "By the way Kitty, from where did you know where I am?"  
"I first thought you were in the pub over there but then I saw you here."  
"Okay…" Dudley moved a chessman back. "I´m already looking forward to the patrol tomorrow."  
"Well, it isn´t so easy." Remarked Kitty "You're suspended for a month."  
"Really? Well… I think I can live with that."  
"Okay but I hope you can live with that." Kitty moved her knight. "Checkmate!"  
"Oh come on!"

**-The End.-**

**-Well, it´s over now. I hope you liked it. I´m already thinking of a sequel to this because it was a great fun writing it. So, see you soon! ;) -**


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